The Law of Proximal Attraction
by Redeeming Endeavor
Summary: AU. Though they couldn't stand each other, they were forced to spend as much time together as their siblings. As science has proven, two polar opposites cannot stay in proximity before the force of attraction inevitably pulls them together.
1. Polar Ends

Chapter 1: Polar Ends 

"Naminé, you know Mom won't let me go unless you come too!"

The young blonde, Naminé, rolled her eyes. Despite her efforts to avoid the redhead, the girl managed to corner her anyway. And what better place to trap someone than the bathroom of her own room? "Well I'm sorry, but going there means that I'll have to deal with _him_ again. Quite frankly, I planned on enjoying this summer."

"Doing what exactly? It's not like there's anything to do when all of our friends are off vacationing somewhere else!" The redhead raised her arms from her side. "Don't you want to see Riku and Sora too?"

"I'll think of something, Kairi. And I'll just talk to them online. It's not a huge loss." Naminé made a motion to pass her twin sister, but was blocked. "Are you seriously doing this?"

"There's only one way out of this room, and that's through me. And I'm not letting you out until you say yes." Two pairs of blue eyes locked in a glaring contest. Strands of auburn hair fell forward as Kairi mustered her most intimidating look.

Unfazed, Naminé lightly blew at Kairi's hair. "If I have to wait here forever, I will. I got a bag of potato chips and a toilet and damn it, _I will make it last._"

"You're bluffing. We're close, but you wouldn't poop in front of me. That's just disgusting and indecent."

"I will if it means I don't have to see _him_ this summer." Naminé's voice was strong with resolve. "I mean it this time, Kairi. Just try to convince Mom to let you go alone this year."

Kairi looked her sister over. She knew all along that Naminé would resist her plan to spend the summer at their father's house at Destiny Islands. Though Naminé had no bitter feelings toward their parents, she always resented visiting Destiny Islands because of a simple boy.

But, like every year, Kairi had an ace up her sleeve. Being the devious little schemer (a self-proclaimed title) she was, Kairi used every academic year to collect blackmail on her sister.

"Fine. If that's how you're going to play, then I'll play mean too. You are coming with me to Destiny Islands, Naminé." Kairi crossed her arms and stood taller over her younger sister of six minutes.

"Or what?" Naminé didn't seem impressed. She sat on the counter and ate her chips nonchalantly.

"I'll tell mom that it was actually you who knocked the mailbox over with the car last spring break."

Naminé giggled. "Oh please. She's over that, Kairi. Plus, I already paid you back for the damages." The blond casually looked at her nails. "What's next?"

"Mom's gardening tools?" Kairi smirked at her sister's change of face. "That's right. The ones she uses every summer. I know you ran over them and broke her favorite trowel and, amazingly, you broke the rake too. I wouldn't want to be around to feel her wrath, if I were you…"

Naminé brought a hand to her chin in thought. "Hmm. Good one, Kairi. But!" she tilted her head, smiling knowingly. "I already bought mom a new one. Sorry Kairi, but you're going to have to try a little harder than that."

"The scratch on the passenger's side door?"

"Already buffed it out."

"Well there's the coffee stain on—"

"Please. Most of it fell on the rubber mat. Scrubbing the _drop_ on the car carpet was nothing." Naminé looked at her sister expectantly. "Is that all? Good. Now if you'll excuse me, I have some fun things to do. Things that don't involve annoying boys or being taken away from home against my will." The younger twin walked over to the bathroom door and unlocked it.

Kairi growled. So her sister came prepared this year. Fine. Kairi hoped it wouldn't resort to the last option, but Naminé played a hard hand. Her hand shot out and grabbed the blonde's wrist, preventing her from leaving the room. "Naminé. You _will_ tell mom that you are coming with me to Destiny Islands." Tension rose as the two stared each other down. Was this a bluff? "That, or I'll tell mom the story of how you passed your driving test."

Naminé narrowed her eyes. Impossible. Out of everything that happened in the past year, Naminé prepared a counter to all of it. Her sister had managed to blackmail her into these things for years now, so she was prepared. And now, when Kairi wanted to spend the longest time they have ever spent in their father's home since their parents' divorce, Kairi brought up the one thing— the only thing— that could subdue her. She never thought Kairi would be this… _evil._ "You promised you would never tell anyone, Kairi." She hissed at her sister.

"Desperate times call for desperate measures." This time Kairi was the one in power. Feeling rather epic and badass, she lightly blew her nails and casually glanced at her sister. "That's right, little Naminé. I'll tell Mom— and Dad will find out too— how Naminé, who strangely seems to be a very incompetent driver, ended up passing her driver's license test with a _perfect _score because of the charity of—"

"You wouldn't dare!"

"But I would." Kairi laughed maniacally, raising her hands and bending her fingers for added effect. "Unless, of course, you agree to go on this extremely fun and wonderful vacation with me. I for one think you have an easy decision." Kairi began to circle her sister like an interrogator. But, being that the bathroom was as small as it was, Naminé had to shift out of the way. She rolled her eyes as Kairi squeaked apologies when she passed by in the cramped space. Regaining her composure, Kairi continued. "Think about it: Mom and Dad will pay for everything while we're there. We'll have the whole house to ourselves. No chores, no waking up at eight in the morning, no work…"

Naminé looked away from her sister. Kairi had a point. Their summer home on Destiny Islands was an escape, after all. But still. _He_ was there, and Kairi wanted to stay the whole summer. She was torn on what she wanted more: to hide the secret that would surely drive her parents to murder her ruthlessly (not to mention the illegal nature of it all), or to avoid _him._ She silently debated it in her mind. "Kairi…"

"It'll be fun, Naminé. We're sixteen now. We can drive— well I can, at least— and there's a whole life of the Islands we have yet to explore. Do you really think Mom and Dad knowing your secret is better than a summer with _friends_? And don't you miss your art room? I'm sure it misses you." Kairi leaned toward her twin, raising a brow. "Don't you want to see it again?"

Naminé's eyes widened. Another weak spot. "I…"

Kairi grinned. "I'm waiting…"

Naminé clenched her fists and bit down hard. Kairi was right. Incur the wrath of her parents, or put up with _his_ presence for the summer? Though equally bad, one of the two options could be controlled. Her parents' anger was out of the question, no doubt; but she didn't have to spend every waking moment with her friends. She could go out when she pleased. And her studio. _Her studio_. Shivers ran throughout Naminé's body at the thought of her personal refuge. Not an art project went by without Naminé thinking about it.

"I don't know…" Naminé said softly. She felt like laughing. If it was anyone but her, the decision would be easy: go to the Islands. But for Namine, anything was better than going to the same exact place where that boy lived.

"Naminé, look at me." The blond looked up, meeting her twin's eyes. "As your older sister, I, Kairi, promise that we will visit the art store of your choice as soon as we leave the airport. I promise that. Even before we get to the house, I promise you that you will have all the supplies you need to last you the summer."

Naminé almost allowed herself to gasp. That was the nail in the coffin, but Kairi couldn't know that. If she did, she might try it in the future. "I guess I'll… I…"

A wide smile formed on Kairi's face. "Yes?" she sang out.

Naminé gulped. There was no turning back after this. "I'll talk to them. I'll tell them I'm going too."

* * *

><p>On another side of the world and far from the bathroom of a particular set of twin sisters, a blond boy sat quietly in his room, staring at the video game paused on the screen of his TV. His back against his headboard, the boy stretched out his legs, a pillow wrapped tightly in his arms.<p>

Summer was finally here. And what better way to spend the first weekend of it playing video games with his best friend? He allowed himself to smile. Today was perfect and peace—

"Roxas!" The door to said boy's room flew open. On the other side, an annoyingly-happy child bounced in place, squeezing his phone a little too tightly. His loose spikes of hair moved with him like his personal pep crowd.

Roxas hugged his pillow tighter. Sora. His brother could be so annoying sometimes. "I'm guessing you have a reason for barging into my room like this?"

"I do! It's great news, in fact. It's so great that you'll probably pee yourself. I mean, I did. But just a little though. Like a small amount. Like, not enough to soak myself through, but like the little bit of pee that accidentally slips out when you're suddenly scared or—"

"Sora…" Roxas rubbed his eyes. He could feel a headache coming on. "Why are you telling me this?"

Sora ran over and dove onto Roxas's bed, much to the chagrin of the owner. "Because I'm excited! You should be too!" Sora grabbed Roxas by the shoulders and shook him violently, all the while screaming in his face. "Why aren't you dying of excitement? _Why_?"

Roxas grabbed his brother's arms and, with little difficulty, freed himself from the seizure-inducing grasp. "If you wanted me dead— I've already deduced that you do, don't worry— then you'd tell me the _reason_ why you're so…" He gestured at Sora with a free hand, "this."

"I didn't tell you yet? I didn't tell you the big news?" Roxas flinched backward from the volume of his brother's voice.

"Big news? Why is everyone yelling in here?" A raven-haired girl— the same age as the two brothers in the room— came running inside, screaming with equal enthusiasm. "What are we talking so loudly about?"

"The reason why I'm so excited! Do you wanna know too, Xion?"

"Of course I do! Gosh, do I love screaming at the top of my lungs or what?" Xion mirrored Sora's actions and ran onto the bed, bouncing like a child on Christmas morning. She stuck her tongue out when she realized Roxas was glaring at her.

_She's doing this on purpose_. He thought. Roxas brought his legs to his chest and hugged his pillow tighter on the bouncing bed. It was official: he was uncomfortable in his own room thanks to these two annoying people.

"Well," Sora dragged out much longer than necessary, "do you remember Kairi? Our friend who came to visit during spring break?" he wagged his finger between himself and Roxas as he explained.

"Of course! She was so nice. Pretty too."

"Isn't she?" Sora smiled widely. "Anyway, I just got a call from her. She—"

"I'm sorry to interrupt," Roxas held a hand up for temporary silence, "but can you two stop yelling please? Screaming your explanation does not make it any easier to understand or appreciate."

"Oh. My bad, Roxas. I hadn't realized…" Sora chuckled, folding his hands behind his head in slight embarrassment. He turned back to Xion. "As I was saying, I just got a call from her. She's staying at her father's house here for the rest of the summer. The rest of the summer, guys! That's like two months! Isn't that awesome?" Sora looked around the room expectantly, waiting for the others to respond similarly.

Roxas spoke first, breaking the awkward silence. "Oh. Cool."

"That's awesome, Sora!" Xion, making up for Roxas's lack of energy, cheered with the giddy brother.

"I know! And not only that, but Naminé is coming this time too! We haven't seen her since last summer, and they didn't even stay that long last time!"

Roxas scowled. "You don't hear me complaining…"

Xion frowned. "Roxas, what's with that face?" She then turned to Sora when he refused to speak. "Fill me in, Sora. I was gone last summer when they came here, so I haven't met Naminé yet. What's she like?"

"An ice queen. A cold-hearted witch. I could go on." Roxas said angrily. Sora turned around to give his brother a frown.

"Hey, that's not nice!" he said defensively. Roxas only stared back, refusing to apologize for his words. Sora sighed. "Naminé is Kairi's twin sister. Contrary to Roxas's description, Naminé is just as nice and friendly. She and Roxas just have… this thing."

"It's not a thing, Sora. She's an annoying, spoiled and self-centered rich girl who doesn't—"

"Let's just say there's a lot of tension between them." Sora interrupted with a nervous laugh.

Xion looked at Roxas. He averted his gaze and hid his face in his pillow. "That's no good, Roxas. You have the whole summer to make amends. I think you should try."

"Are you kidding me? With her here, summer will pretty much suck. I'm going to do whatever it takes to avoid seeing her at all."

Sora shook his head. "Um, about that…"

Roxas looked at his brother, glaring daggers. "What now?"

"Kairi's mom asked our mom if we would pick them up from the airport. That's in two days." Sora said sheepishly. "You'll be one of the first people to see her that way." The room quickly fell silent. Sora looked around the room innocently, pressing his lips together. Xion looked at Sora, then at Roxas, and then back to Sora, waiting for something to happen.

Roxas's eye twitched. "No can do. I have to work."

"Um… not at eight in the morning. Your shift doesn't start until…ten… actually…" Sora again fell silent at the look he was receiving. "Oh come on! Don't get mad at me! Mom is the one who volunteered both of us!"

"You can go by yourself. I don't see why one person isn't enough. They have arms. They can lift their own bags." Roxas ignored the angry look Xion was giving him.

"But Roxas," Sora whined dramatically, "I don't know how to get to the airport from our house! I'll get lost!"

"Then use the GPS and— never mind." Roxas ran his hands through his hair in frustration.

Sora chuckled. "Yeah, that didn't turn out so well last time. I don't really like those things."

Roxas looked at Xion, an idea forming in his head. "Xion, you said you wanted to meet Kairi's sister." Xion rolled her eyes. Roxas was being awfully dramatic if he refused to say her name. "Why don't you go with Sora in my place?"

"Oh no you don't." Xion crossed her arms. "You are going with your brother, Roxas. I'll have more than one opportunity to meet her. Besides, how do you think you'll get to work with no car? Sora can drop you off."

Roxas scowled. Sora spoke up, "Roxas, if you won't listen to me, at least listen to your best friend. Mom is going to be angry if you don't go."

"What's she going to do? Restrict us from seeing them? Keep me from working?" Roxas scoffed.

"She said she'll make you their driver for the rest of the summer if you don't agree to pick them up just this once." Sora said quietly. "Come on, Roxas. It can't be that bad. As soon as we pick them up, I'll drop you off at work. Sound good?"

"Oh quit brooding like that, Roxas." Xion crossed her arms. "It's just one car ride. Put up with it for a few minutes of your life and then go to work. I'll pick you up when you finish and we can get some ice cream."

Roxas juggled his options in his mind. If he could put up with this one drive, then maybe he could salvage some fun out of this summer. He lowered the pillow from his face, laying it flat across his lap.

"Fine. I'll go."

* * *

><p><strong>Redeeming Endeavor:<strong> I'm writing this story in hopes that I'll make readers (you!) smile, laugh, think, and enjoy what they're reading, even though it only tributes and parallels the KH universe we all came to love.

_Chapter Data_- Total writing/editing time: 280 minutes. Word Count: 2,784. For more thoughts on the chapter, visit my LJ (See profile, homepage).

Take care, and I'll see you around!


	2. Repulsion

Chapter 2: Repulsion

For the fourth time that day, Naminé was forced to apologize to a stranger she unintentionally ran into thanks to her sister's pulling.

"I'm sorry!" She yelled over her shoulder as Kairi dragged her along. The redhead seemed intent on getting their bags as soon as possible. "Kairi, nobody is going to steal our bags you know. And at this rate, I think we'll get to baggage claim before it even starts up."

"I just want to make sure…" Kairi said off-handedly. Intrigued, Naminé planted her feet in place, putting a stop to the forced following.

"Kairi," the blonde pulled her arm out of her sister's grasp, "will you relax? I accidentally knocked a child down a while back thanks to you. Can we slow down?"

"No we can't!" Kairi seized Naminé's wrist and pulled her along once again. "Just keep going. Besides, they're waiting for us."

"Who is?" When no answer came her way, she asked again. "Kairi, who's waiting for us?"

"You'll see! My gosh, just keep walking! We're almost there!"

"Why can't you just tell me—"

"Kairi! Naminé!" A loud voice caught the twins' attention. A couple steps off, a familiar friend waved ecstatically in their direction. Each of the girls smiled at the sight of the boy who greeted them. Dropping Naminé's wrist, Kairi ran to the boy and wrapped him in a bear hug.

"Sora!" she laughed as he swung her around, pulling away when he set her down. Naminé giggled to herself, walking at her own pace to her sister and their old friend.

Sora tilted his head, spreading his arms wide for Naminé. "I know it's been a year, but don't I get one from you too?" he asked with a grin.

Laughing, Naminé ran into his arms and gave him a good squeeze. "It's been a while, Sora. You've gotten so much taller since last summer!" Naminé stood back, ruffling his spiky hair. "We used to be the same height too…"

"Yeah, when we were ten!" Sora folded his hands behind his head, laughing with the girls. "How was your flight?"

"Just fine. Naminé slept the whole way. I couldn't. You wouldn't believe how excited I was for this trip. Where's that brother of yours?" Kairi looked over Sora's shoulder as if he'd magically appear there.

"He went to park the car. That was like ten minutes ago, so he should— oh." Sora looked over his shoulder. "Roxas! Over here!"

Naminé went rigid at the sound of his name. She leaned toward her sister and whispered harshly, "Why is he here?"

Kairi shrugged. "Don't ask me!" she smiled innocently as Roxas came to join them. Unlike Naminé, Kairi enveloped Roxas in a hug too. "There you are! Were you trying to hide from me?"

Roxas smiled, releasing the redhead from his embrace. "I wouldn't do that to you." He looked up, meeting Naminé's eyes. His smile immediately dropped from his face. "Oh. It's you."

Naminé scowled. Of course he'd greet her rudely. That's all he ever did. "I was happy to see Sora again. I'd be lying if I said the same for you."

"Good. The feeling's mutual."

"Easy, guys!" Kairi let out a nervous laugh, stepping between the battling blondes. "It's been a whole year. Don't you have anything else to say to each other?" The two blonds stared at each other, their expressions unreadable. Kairi looked back and forth. "Well?"

An awkward silence fell over the group. Nearby, a child began to wail.

Roxas was the first to speak. "What's with the face? You're making the kid cry."

Naminé narrowed her eyes. "_My_ face? It's your—"

"Oh, I think your bags are coming!" Sora interrupted loudly. Kairi sighed in relief. "Roxas, Naminé, why don't you guys collect the bags? I'm going to get everyone breakfast. Maybe we're all hungry."

"I'm not—" Naminé tried to tell them that hunger wasn't the reason for her attitude, but was quickly quieted by Kairi's interruption.

"I'll go with you!" Kairi turned to Sora with a smile. "The usual, Naminé?" The blond nodded wordlessly, albeit angrily. "All right. We'll find you guys, so run along now!"

Grudgingly, the pair of blonds walked off to the moving belt. By the looks of it, they were two complete strangers with a wide gap in between them. Kairi shook her head.

"That didn't go so well." Sora muttered. Kairi turned on her heel, catching up to Sora. He held out his arm, linking it with Kairi's. "A whole year older and they're still fighting like kids. How in the world did you convince Naminé to come on this trip?"

"Desperation." Kairi said vaguely. Sora grinned at her, waiting for an explanation. "Fine. I blackmailed her again. She was pretty adamant about not coming, but I got my way in the end."

"Was it easy?"

"Of course not!" Kairi exhaled slowly. "She was complaining how her summer was going to suck and all this stuff thanks to Roxas. I told her to put up with it."

"Isn't that making it harder on yourself?" Upon arriving at the restaurant, Sora held the door open for Kairi.

"What do you mean?"

"You could have just 'sided' with your sister. You know, give her a pep talk of sorts."

"My method worked just fine. I'm here, aren't I?" Kairi smiled.

"Yes, but I think a different approach would have made it easier. For example, you could have pretended to side with Naminé and go with the whole 'don't let some boy drag your summer down' approach. Xion and I tried it a couple days back with Roxas and it worked like a charm."

Kairi raised a brow. She was impressed. "Hmm. Someone's gotten a little more intelligent with another full year of school under his belt, huh?"

"Meh, I wouldn't say so. I just wasn't going to let Roxas and Naminé's— whatever they have— keep you guys from coming here. I missed you guys."

Kairi smiled. Did Sora realize how charming he sounded? Probably not. "Sora?"

"Yup?"

"I'm really glad we're together again."

Sora grinned, draping an arm over Kairi's shoulders. "Me too, Kairi."

* * *

><p>"There. Those are ours."<p>

"You're telling me this because…?"

Naminé huffed. Roxas was so much more annoying than she remembered! "Why the heck did you even come if you weren't going to help?"

"I was forced to. If I had a choice in the matter, do you think I'd be here with you?"

"You didn't have to come down from the car."

Roxas blinked. "For once, you're right. I'll be in the car." He turned to walk away, leaving the gaping girl behind him.

"Hey! Cut it out and get back here!" When he didn't stop, she stomped her foot and yelled, "Roxas!"

He froze, his bored eyes meeting her angry ones. Sighing, he turned on his heel and returned to his old spot. A heavy silence fell over them as the bags approached their position. "Which ones?" he asked quietly.

Taken by surprise, Naminé stared dumbly at the boy. "Huh?"

"Which bags?" Roxas clarified impatiently.

"O-Oh. The black suitcases with the red ribbons are Kairi's. The ones with blue ribbons are mine." Naminé said quickly. "They might be a little heavy, so just get one at a—" she paused as Roxas effortlessly pulled both of Kairi's bags from the belt, gently setting them down next to him. "—time." She finished dumbly. She stood for a while, noticing a few seconds too late that her bags were slowly passing her spot. "Wait! What about mine?"

"You have arms. Get it yourself." Roxas shrugged as he moved Kairi's bags out of the way.

Naminé growled. This boy was a bona fide _douche._ "You are freaking unbelievable…" she muttered angrily. Running over to her bags, Naminé struggled to pull her first one off the belt, huffing when she finally did. Before she could get her second one, however, a hand wrapped around the handle and pulled it off the belt. Naminé looked up to see Roxas smirking.

"Better get used to heavy lifting, princess. You won't have servants or maids helping you every waking moment of your life."

"For your information, I have neither of those. I'm not some spoiled brat who expects everything to be handed to her."

"Tch. Could have fooled me."

"Are you remotely capable of speaking to me without including an insult?"

"Nope." Roxas smirked cockily. "Oh, for consistency's sake, your hair is a _mess._"

Naminé only got one smack in before their siblings returned. "Naminé, cut it out!" Kairi ran over, her presence ending the emerging physical (and most likely one-sided) fight. "Seriously, you can't just… I don't know, ignore each other when you guys are alone or something?"

"How can I when this brat is constantly shouting orders at me like I'm her butler?" Roxas defended.

"I'm shouting at you because you're being an ass!"

"Oh forget it!" Kairi groaned. "Stop fighting and eat. Stuff your mouth with something before you two say anything more… here, two chocolate doughnuts with sprinkles." Kairi held the bag up in defeat. Both Naminé and Roxas grabbed the bag. Realizing the other's hold, they glared at each other once again.

"Let go. This is mine." Roxas said sternly. He pulled at the bag.

Naminé didn't relent. "It's mine. Didn't you just hear her?"

"She said chocolate doughnuts with sprinkles. That's obviously my order."

"It's the same order!" Sora came running over, holding another bag out. "Sorry, Roxas. Here you go." Smirking victoriously, Naminé snatched the bag from his grip. Sora scratched the back of his head. "Sorry about the wait. They made these ones fresh."

This time, Roxas smiled smugly at the blonde. He turned to his brother. "That's fine. I'm sure they're better than yesterday's leftovers anyway." He took his bag, pulling out a doughnut. "Your bags are there, Kairi."

"Thanks, Roxas." Kairi took one of her bags and held her drink in the other. "Sora, can you get my other one?"

"Of course!" Sora took Kairi's bag with his free hand. Naminé looked around, hoping someone could take her other bag.

As luck would have it, the only person with a free hand was Roxas. Maybe someone would be willing to take it. "Um, can anyone help me with my other bag?"

Sora and Kairi looked at each other, then at Roxas. "Think you can get that for her, Roxas?" Kairi asked.

Roxas looked at Naminé and smiled. "Sorry," he said as he pulled out another doughnut, "but my hands are full."

Sora and Kairi could only groan as Naminé attempted to pull both of her bags. "Fine. I'll do it myself." She growled. Before she could take a single step, her nemesis blocked her path.

"Someone forgot to say please." His lips curved into a one-sided smirk.

Infuriated, Naminé shoved right by Roxas, struggling to pull her bags behind her. "You can forget about it. I don't need your help." As the words left her mouth, she dropped her breakfast bag on the floor.

"Nam, let Roxas help." Kairi said tiredly. "Don't make this harder than it has to be."

Naminé exhaled slowly. _Suck it up._ She told herself. _If not for you, then at least for Kairi_. Naminé opened her eyes. "Roxas, will you please help me with this bag?" Roxas stood still for a moment before walking over, only to grab the suitcase that Naminé had not indicated. Before she could protest, he took it from her grasp.

"This one's heavier, isn't it?" He pulled it behind him, ignoring Naminé's look of surprise. "Can we get a move on already? I'd like to leave the airport before the day's over."

* * *

><p>The car ride was surprisingly quiet after the first ten minutes. Then again, Roxas was intent on keeping quiet, a silent protest to his forced duty.<p>

Adjusting the volume of his music player, Roxas looked around the car. Sora kept his eyes trained on the road, occasionally glancing in his rearview mirror for other cars. Directly in front of Roxas, Kairi was asleep against the window. The corner of his lips curved upward. Maybe that's why the car ride got quiet. It looked like Sora and Kairi's conversation was cut short.

Kairi stirred in her seat, but didn't wake up. Roxas caught Sora stealing a glance, making him shake his head in amusement. Sora was always excited to see Kairi, and when she showed up, it was like nothing could bring him down. Maybe it had to do with the fact that their old trio was reunited with every visit. Sora, Riku and Kairi would always go off on their own, leaving him with Xion.

Not that he minded. Xion was his best friend, after all.

Roxas returned his thoughts to the sleeping girl. It had only been a few months since Kairi last came, and it was then that he noticed how much she had changed since last summer. She was shorter this time around (though that probably had to do with the fact that he and Sora just got taller), but she looked more mature. Her hair was longer too, much different from the style he remembered from their childhood. He thought it made her look more feminine anyway, and even prettier.

Roxas looked to his side to see the blond twin, discretely looking her over. Though he would never admit it out loud, Naminé had changed the most in his eyes. Just a year ago, he would have never even called her pretty. It was a different story now. Naminé somehow looked a lot more womanly, and her hair fell neatly just past her shoulders. She was a bit paler than her sister, but he thought it suited her.

Roxas stole a glance at Naminé's face. What was different about it? When he first saw her at the airport, there was something he couldn't quite place. It looked different this time around. It made her look… older. At this rate, she was only going to get prettier. Maybe it was her eyes. Roxas always thought she had nicer eyes than her sister. Again, yet another detail that he would never vocalize.

Roxas frowned when he remembered how she looked at him. The intrigue he felt when he examined her was replaced with anger and annoyance. Naminé might have looked like an angel, but she had some serious attitude issues. If there was one thing consistent about Naminé, it was her spoiled nature and sense of self-entitlement. He couldn't stand how she walked around like her life was so hard when her family was loaded. What was her biggest problem? What designer clothes to wear to school? Probably not even that. She probably went to a private school with the other rich kids.

And what's with that expectancy for help? Did she think everyone in the world existed solely to do her bidding? He grunted mid-thought. Of course she did. Everywhere she went, she had to act like a princess.

Returning his attention to the window, Roxas looked around at the surroundings to find that Sora was close to his workplace. But at the intersection where Sora had to turn, Sora went straight. Roxas immediately frowned and pulled out an earphone.

"Sora, you missed the turn." He looked over at his brother.

Sora peered into the rearview mirror with an apologetic smile. "Actually, I was hoping we could stop by the art store first. Kairi gave me directions, and since it was on the way, I thought we could stop there first."

Roxas scowled. "What does Kairi need art stuff for?"

"It's not for Kairi." Naminé interjected. Roxas looked at the blonde with a frown. "It's for me."

Roxas inhaled deeply. He turned back to his brother with an order. "Sora, I need to get to work."

Sora looked into the rearview mirror. "Not for another half hour you don't."

"I wanted to get there early." Roxas shot back. "Turn around now."

"Just what exactly is your problem? When you find out that the stuff is for me, suddenly it's a huge problem? You have half an hour to get to work! I won't take more than fifteen minutes in there!" Naminé said indignantly.

"My problem? My problem is I can't just whip out a credit card and buy a whole art store. I have to work. Ever heard of it?" Roxas spat angrily.

"I have, actually. You don't need to be so mean about it."

"Roxas, let it go. We're here already anyway." Sora parked into a spot near the door. When Roxas answered with a glare, Sora again gave him an apologetic look. "Come on. Kairi promised Naminé that the first thing they'd do when they left the airport was get Naminé some supplies."

Roxas glared at the blonde sitting across from him. "Are you serious?" he asked sharply. "Are you freaking _serious_? What? Mommy and Daddy's island mansion not good enough for you, Naminé? You're unbelievable."

"What the heck? Why are you so angry at me?" Naminé asked with equal fury. "So you're going to be fifteen minutes early instead of thirty minutes early. Is that such a problem that you have to lash out at me?"

"I'm lashing out at you because of your stupid 'me-first' attitude! What? Did Kairi have to coerce you with gifts to get you to go on _vacation_?" Roxas was on the verge of yelling.

Sora, getting a little nervous from all the scathing questions, tried to alleviate the tension. "Um, would you guys like to go to the beach—"

"Shut up." The two replied curtly. Sora squeaked and sank into his seat.

"Just quit complaining! For your information, I'm paying for this out of my own pocket from money that I made from my own job! And secondly, Kairi promised we'd stop here so I would put up with you!"

"Oh, god forbid that you have to put up with someone who says no! Damn, what would I give for a perk like that? Sora, I'm stuck with someone I don't like. Better buy me a new car so I can _put up with her_!"

Naminé, fed up with arguing, unbuckled her seatbelt and roughly shoved Roxas. "That's it. Sora, just take Roxas to his work. I'll be ready to go when you get back."

Roxas also unbuckled his seatbelt and opened his door. "Yeah Sora, wouldn't want to be late in picking her up. She might make you buy her an island if you make her wait too long."

Sora, extremely flustered from the fighting, looked around helplessly. "Wait, where are you going?"

"Walking. As long as I get away from her." Roxas spat angrily.

"Screw you, Roxas." The doors of the car slammed simultaneously, making Sora flinch in his seat. As the car fell silent, Kairi finally woke up, having slept through all the noise. She turned to Sora, rubbing her eyes tiredly.

"Oh, is this the art store?" She asked as she sat up. "Naminé, we're… oh. Where is everyone?"

Sora leaned his head back and sighed. "Naminé is shopping. Roxas went to work."

"Oh." Kairi turned in her seat and closed her eyes. "Good. For a second there I was afraid they'd start fighting… well, wake me up when we're home."

* * *

><p>Roxas's scathing words never left Naminé's mind, simmering between her ears all the way home. Under normal circumstance, not only would she be excited to have new supplies, but delighted to be in their summer home again. The one story house was just a block or two from the beach, so despite its size, it wasn't exactly cheap. Naminé was more than okay with it. Unlike her home in Radiant Garden, nothing in the house was beyond austere, nor was it indulgent. They didn't have the latest entertainment systems or state of the art kitchens, nor did they have a shower with more than one showerhead. If anything, it was the closest Naminé would get to living in the "upper middle class."<p>

With Sora's offer to handle the bags, Naminé and Kairi were free to explore the house. As expected, the interior was well taken care of with housekeepers. The leather couches remained plush and decorated with pillows, and the entertainment center remained free of dust. The deep, steel sink of the kitchen looked shiny as ever, and the marble countertops reflected the light that filtered through the slightly opened blinds. Four tall chairs were tucked neatly underneath the island countertop, and a larger wooden table was set neatly in the dining room.

"Huh. It's cleaner than I expected." Kairi muttered as she looked around.

Naminé nodded. "I'm going to my room." Her sister waved her off, signaling that she heard. Walking down a long hallway, Naminé walked to the end and opened the door on the left. Her room here was much smaller and conservatively decorated; cool colors comprised the bedding and furniture, making a very comfortable and calm dwelling. Naminé smiled. Though it was tempting to throw herself on the bed, something else was calling her attention.

Walking to her dresser, she looked into the mirror and took off her earrings, something she didn't normally wear anyway. When she set them down, she caught sight of an old birthday present. She ran her hand over it, then opened the engraved jewelry box and pulled out the single key that sat inside.

She left her bedroom and opened the door of the adjacent room. She slowly pushed the door open, smiling widely at the familiar sight of her studio.

The room was just a bit smaller than her bedroom. An easel and chair sat directly in the middle of the room, and a rolling platform desk was placed nearby. Walking to the window, Naminé pulled the blinds open and allowed the light to pour in. Though dust floated about in the air, Naminé could only laugh in delight at the sight of her lit studio. Three of the four walls were white, an assortment of old artwork hanging about. The last wall— one perpendicular to the window— was painted black.

Messages and even older drawings decorated the lower area of that wall. Naminé bent down, looking at the chalk work of her younger self. Kairi's drawings— the only other person allowed in this room— also remained untouched. Their names and dates decorated the higher parts. Naminé smiled. If she stood back and observed, the drawings unofficially documented their growth. As she started from the bottom and looked up, the drawings and handwriting improved with the height. Each of their signed names was paired with the date of their visit. Looking at the latest one, Naminé shook her head slightly.

From the looks of it, she hadn't grown much. She wouldn't accept the possibility that she didn't grow at all. Not getting taller was just a reminder that she was growing ever closer to adulthood. She kind of enjoyed being a kid.

A knock at the door stole Naminé's attention away from the chalk wall. The door opened a smidgeon, allowing Kairi to peek her head in. "Naminé! Have you checked the garage?"

"No. Is there a reason why I should have?"

Kairi smiled widely. "This is just something you have to see for yourself." Kairi turned and left. Allowing her curiosity to get the best of her, Naminé followed her sister to the garage. Upon arriving, she gasped.

Two cars sat side by side, a note attached to each of them. Kairi looked at her sister and smiled. She held up a longer note in her hand. "From Dad," she said. "I found the note on the fridge." She handed Naminé the note and ran over to the red car. She took the note attached to the windshield and read aloud, "Kairi, I know pink is your favorite color, but I'd probably castrate myself before I buy my daughter a pink car. I hope red is close enough." Kairi laughed, peering into the interior of the car. "This one's mine! My own little baby!"

Naminé giggled, setting her hands at her hips. "Good. I wanted the white one anyway." The blonde walked to the other vehicle, doing the same thing as Kairi. "Naminé, I can't express how proud I was to hear you received a perfect score on your driving test." Naminé cringed slightly, but continued to read. "Hope you love your gift. Love, Dad." She looked up from the note to meet the mirthful eyes of her twin. "Wow do I feel guilty…" Naminé shrugged.

"Oh give it a rest. You have your license, and you're at least… well, you can reach the pedal! That counts for something!" Kairi joked.

Naminé smiled, but receiving the car only made her feel worse. Roxas's stinging words repeated in her head. She didn't ask for the car she knew she didn't deserve. "I don't think I'll be driving mine anytime soon."

"Speak for yourself!" Kairi said excitedly. "I can't wait to take this thing out for a spin. Where's Sora? I bet he'll freak when he sees this!"

Naminé followed her sister out of the garage, giggling when she saw Kairi drag Sora behind her. She looked around the room, noticing that most of their stuff had been taken down from the car with the exception of her supplies. Pulling her cell phone out, Naminé walked out to the car to finish the job as she made a call. She had someone to thank, after all.

The line picked up shortly after. Naminé smiled at the sound of her father's voice. She walked off, pinning the phone to her ear with her shoulder. "Hey, Dad. Yeah, we're at home now. We just saw the cars..."

* * *

><p>"Naminé, let's go!" Kairi whined. "How long does it take to put a swimsuit on?"<p>

Naminé opened her bedroom door with a huff. "I already told you that I was putting all my stuff away. Have you?" Naminé closed her bedroom door, juggling her bag and towel.

"That can wait. Let's just hurry to the beach. Riku and Sora and Xion will be there before us at the rate you're going!"

Naminé huffed. This was supposed to be a vacation. Why was she being rushed? "Is Xion the one you met over spring break?"

"Yeah. I think you'll like her. She's very open once you get to know her, and she gets along really well with everyone. She's kinda like Roxas too."

Naminé immediately frowned. Like Roxas? Naminé didn't need another Roxas in her life. Just the name was too much for her. "Oh, that's great."

"I think they have a thing for each other too. We just have to wait and see." Kairi shrugged. Naminé scowled. Who in the world would date that guy? What'd he do? Charm her with his insults? Woo her with piss poor attitude?

"She must be a saint." Naminé muttered as she got into the car. "And Kairi, is this necessary? We can walk, you know."

Kairi smiled, inhaling deeply. "I'm going to ignore that and ask you a question: do you smell that? That's the new car smell, Naminé. Who in the world doesn't like the new car smell?"

"I'm impartial." Naminé shrugged.

Kairi, looking extremely insulted, shook her head and turned the engine on. She clapped her hands in delight. "I can't believe this is actually mine! And it has a sunroof! Where is the switch for that? But the new car smell… I want to keep it. Does the new car smell go away faster if you open your windows?"

"Kairi, I honestly don't know." Naminé didn't really care either.

"I think it does. We're driving with the air on. I want the smell to stay forever." Kairi squealed, bouncing in her seat. "This is so exciting! Isn't this so exciting?"

The blonde rolled her eyes. "Whatever, Kairi. Let's go before I change my mind."

Kairi laughed and opened the garage with a remote. "Vamoose, Naminé! Vamoose!"

* * *

><p><strong>Redeeming Endeavor<strong>:

Chapter Data: Uploaded on 21/6/2011. Total editing time- 525 minutes. Word Count: 4,676. FF seems to inflate that number all the time...

Harmless Author Fact #2: I'm left-handed, the only one among my immediate family. Shout out to the lefties out there!

So, the response last chapter was amazing. Huge thanks to the subscribers, whether it was for LPA or myself. Another big thanks to **songs, Zoe the Hunter, KeybladeMaster97, 0Wishful-Thoughts0, ResoluteResolve, CapriciousXXIISerenader, GreyPurpleBlack, akemithebazookagirl, soluvepink, Fanfiction Fanatiction, cosmic blues, VIII, **and **Typewrite.** I honestly expected three or so reviews and around ten or so subscriptions, but as you can see that was not the case! Thank you guys for making LPA my biggest debut chapter to date.

Take care, and I'll see you around!


	3. Activation Energy

Chapter 3: Activation Energy

Naminé always enjoyed going to the beach. Finding the motivation to get up and actually go was always the biggest hill to climb, but once she was there, she was set. The beach offered a multitude of things: it was relaxing, generally soothing, warm, and one of the best subjects for her work. She particularly enjoyed painting the water; to some it was a tedious blob of blue colors, but she always enjoyed the challenge of texture. The point where the water met the sand was always the best part; the sand was a couple shades darker, and the water had to be lighter. She usually went with sea foam.

She and her sister sat under a single umbrella, waiting for their friends' arrival. Kairi was diligently applying sunscreen: the breeze kept the air at a comfortable level, but the afternoon sun was shining strongly. The sisters knew that too much time in the sun without protection would result in burnt skin and ridiculous amounts of pain for the next week.

"Naminé, what do you think of Sora?"

Naminé, taken aback by the sudden question, turned to meet her sister's eyes. "Um, what?"

"Sora." She repeated. Surely saying his name would make the question easier to understand. With a look from Naminé, Kairi continued. "I'm just wondering what you think of him. You know, his personality and stuff. Just to see if you think he's changed as much as I have." Kairi added quickly.

Naminé brought a hand to her chin in thought. "I honestly don't think he's changed that much. I mean he's still the same old funny Sora. Always making light of a situation, always the joker of the group." She shrugged with a smile. "If anything I think he's the one who has changed the least. That child-like innocence and his happy-go-lucky view about the world..."

"No, I don't mean that!" Kairi blushed, turning away from her sister. "I mean… looks-wise. Hasn't he gotten taller?"

"He did!" Naminé agreed with a nod. "But Kairi, I think growing is a normal part of the process. I feel sorry for you if you never saw it coming."

"Oh be quiet!" The two girls laughed, adjusting themselves in the sand.

"All jokes aside, Sora is starting to lose that boyishness, and he's getting a lot manlier." Naminé quipped. She smiled, entertained by Kairi's efforts to remain discrete. "I find it hard to take him seriously with that crazy hair of his, but he's a looker, isn't he?"

Not wanting to give anything away, Kairi tried to give an unconvinced response. "I guess…"

"You'll be sure when he takes his shirt off." Naminé teased. The conversation ended with a playful laugh and a giggle fit. Naminé lay down, thinking about Kairi's question. The years had definitely been in Sora's favor. Though Naminé wouldn't go so far as to call him hot— he's a childhood friend, that'd be _weird_— but he was cute. Naminé thought any girl that got him would be the lucky one. He seemed committed.

"Hey ladies! How much?" The catcall came from a nearby voice. Normally they'd be offended, but there was something familiar about it. Smiles spread across the faces of the twins at the sight of the young man. Kairi was the first to get up.

"Riku!" she laughed as he wrapped her in a hug. Naminé slowly got up after, claiming her own hug from the boy.

"Holy crap, you're huge!" Naminé laughed as she hugged him tightly.

"Yeah, I get that a lot." Riku joked, deepening his voice and flexing his arms.

"Not that, you pervert." Naminé slapped his arm, only to take her hand back in pain. "What the heck? What are those made of?"

"Please, no need to flatter." He shook his head, his silver hair falling around his face. "Naminé, I don't think you grew at all since last summer. Have you stopped growing already?"

"I most certainly haven't!" She stood as tall as she could, arms akimbo. "You, my friend, are the freak of nature here. Last time I was here, I could at least look you in the eye without craning my neck!"

"I have to agree with Nam," Kairi added. "I saw you this past spring break, but sheesh. I really think you got taller!"

"Meh," Riku brushed his nose with a thumb. "If you say so. I think the world just got smaller." Riku turned around. "Oh. There they are. Took them long enough."

Naminé looked around Riku, catching sight of Sora and another girl walking toward them. "Ah. That must be Xion." Sora and Xion approached the group, dropping their bags beside them.

"Hi guys! Hope you haven't been waiting long."

"Don't worry about it." Kairi waved her hand. "Xion, nice to see you again!"

The black-haired girl wrapped Kairi in a hug. "Same to you, Kairi! Glad to see you doing so well." She then turned to the blonde, sticking her hand out. "You must be the famous sister I've heard about. I'm Xion."

Naminé put on a smile. So this was the girl that was like Roxas? She kept her guard up, but shook the girl's hand anyway. "Though I don't know why I'm famous, it's a pleasure to meet you!" she said kindly. Xion smiled.

"I've heard one too many rants about you, is all. My best friend can be a whiny emo bitch sometimes." The two girls laughed.

That was rather… unexpected.

"Wait, we're both talking about Roxas, right?" Naminé asked cautiously.

"Depends. Are you talking about the one who's always angry-looking? Like he has something stuffed up his butt?" Xion shrugged.

Naminé burst out in laughter. So Xion shared Roxas's tendency to insult people. The fact that they were aimed at Roxas only made them funnier.

"You two ladies seem to be hitting it off." Riku noted as he pulled off his shirt. "But I've been looking forward to getting back here all day. I don't know about you two, but I'm going in the water. Is anyone joining me?"

"Are you really asking that? I've been waiting for you two to show up the whole time!" Kairi complained. She grabbed both Riku's and Sora's hands and pulled them to the water. "Let's go!"

The trio ran off, laughing loudly and joking together. Naminé looked at the new girl— she was new to Naminé, at least— and smiled. "Will you be swimming too?"

Xion shook her head, dropping into a sitting position on the sand. "Not right now. I actually have to go in a couple minutes. I honestly wanted to meet the person behind Roxas's rage." Xion smiled. "I love Roxas to death, but sometimes he can be a bit dramatic. I don't think everything he said about you was true."

Though tempted to ask, Naminé ignored her curiosity and sat beside her enemy's best friend. "I don't know what he said, but I do know that the majority of it— if not all— was false."

"From what I gathered, you seem like a nice person. I knew Sora was closer to the truth." The conversation quieted for a bit before Xion resumed speaking. "Now, I've known Roxas since the beginning of high school and I never learned the reason why you two are…"

"Enemies? Nemeses? On two different sides of a war?" Naminé offered.

"Yeah. How in the world did it all start?"

"I don't know." Naminé shrugged. "We met very early in childhood. All I remember is him being mean to me for some reason. He'd always make fun of me and tease me and I never knew why. All I knew was that I had to defend myself, so I started firing back. It's been like that since."

Xion shook her head. "So you guys have just continually fought because something went wrong when you guys were four?" Naminé nodded. "And neither you nor Roxas thought to be the better person and try to get this whole thing cleared up?"

"We just met and you're already trying to judge me?" Naminé asked.

"I guess I am." Xion responded just as nonchalantly. "To me it sounds like he was teasing you because he liked you and it got out of hand."

Huh. Xion was pretty much all-business. "I like your style then." Naminé smiled, but looked away as she thought of a response. "I've honestly tried in the past. But does Roxas seem like the type of guy who apologizes for something he doesn't think he's at fault for? And it's not some lover's quarrel either. Ask him yourself if you don't believe me. We've been butting heads all our life, and I honestly make every possible effort not to be around him."

"Do you hate him?"

"I wouldn't go so far as to say that." Naminé looked disturbed. Hate was a strong word. If she hated him, she wouldn't want him breathing. She just didn't like him when he was around her. "He's just… I really don't like him. I don't know if it's that stupid condescending look he always gives me—"

"I know that look!"

"— or his mouth that can't seem to spurt anything but insults." Naminé looked down, playing with the sand beneath her. "I get the feeling he hates me though. Like genuinely hates me. He flipped out today just because I wanted to buy art supplies. He accused me of being spoiled and uncaring and a bunch of other things without giving me a chance to explain anything."

"Roxas can be a little… angry at times." Xion said quietly. "I know you're going to think I'm biased for saying this, and I probably am, but Roxas isn't really that bad. Sure, he can be a baby when he doesn't get his way and he can seriously hold a grudge like no other, but once you get to know him, he's not that bad."

"Obviously not." Naminé laughed humorlessly. "We're two completely different people, he and I, and we have the same group of friends. You all either see something in us that we don't see in each other, or you're all just insane."

"I wouldn't put the latter on the shelf just yet. Wait 'til you get to know me." Xion joked. "Would you ever consider trying to get to know Roxas?"

"I've been trying to understand where he comes from with all this lashing out, but honestly I've given up." Naminé returned her attention to the sand. "I'm tired of him. I don't want to put up with all those mean things he says. We're a lot better off not talking to each other and out of each other's hair."

Xion nodded silently, looking out at the group playing in the water. She checked the time on her phone and sighed. Time was up. "Well, I'm glad I got to talk to you today. I knew Roxas was wrong about you. If you ask me, I bet this whole thing between you guys is his fault."

"Are you about to call Roxas and tell him the same exact thing, but that our fights spawn from my responsibility?" Naminé laughed.

"No, I'm not that devious!" Xion said in mock offense. "I really think Roxas's way of approaching things is what's the problem here. I'll try and talk to him about it."

"Xion, you really shouldn't waste your time."

"Oh please. I've wasted years of my life hanging out with the prude already. What's a couple more?" Xion stood, wiping the sand off her legs and grabbing her bag. "I'm glad we had this conversation. Mind you, it won't be our last."

"You're sure of that? I'd have to say I enjoyed it too. Ranting to a near-stranger about all my stress was more relieving than ranting to my sister. She'd just go on and on about sexual tension and that crap."

Xion fought a smile. From what she gathered, that couldn't have been any further from the truth. "Hmm. Then it was good that you talked to me. You and Roxas are just… both stubborn people. And I wouldn't call this sexual tension before labeling it as a clash of personalities. You and Roxas are complete opposites."

"Thank you!" Naminé stretched her arms out. "Maybe we're just not meant to get along, you know?"

_Not quite_. Xion thought with a grin. "Maybe, maybe not." She chose to say. "Anyway, enjoy your day with your friends. I'll see you again soon, I'm sure."

"Thanks, Xion." Naminé shook the girl's hand again, looking up at the standing figure. "I really mean it when I say that ranting to you made me feel a lot better."

"Don't mention it. If there's someone with Roxas troubles, they should always come to me. I think I know how to deal with him the best anyway." She said with pride. "I'll be seeing you."

"Later!" Naminé waved. As Xion walked off, Naminé looked at the trio playing in the water. She focused on Sora and Kairi, who seemed to get along so well. Naminé was Kairi's sister. Roxas was Sora's brother. Why, then, could one pair get along so well and the other be at each other's throats? Sure, Kairi and Sora were practically the same kind of person, but were she and Roxas so different from their siblings?

Naminé shook the thoughts away. Maybe it was true: Naminé and Roxas just weren't meant to be friendly toward each other. She was sure of one thing, however: she wouldn't be trying to make amends with Roxas anytime soon. Not after his huge outburst after the airport.

If anyone was going to improve the situation between them, he was going to have to initiate it.

* * *

><p>Roxas stared out the window of his workplace, waiting for his ride to arrive. He smiled when he saw the car pull in, quietly exiting the building.<p>

Xion greeted him when he entered the car. Roxas buckled in, adjusting the air conditioning.

"Hey. How was work?"

"Fun, like always. When are we getting ice cream?"

Xion laughed, looking over her shoulder as she backed out of her spot. "Not even going to ask me about my day? And we're going now, so keep your panties on."

"I would have asked about your day if I cared." Roxas laughed, rubbing his arm where Xion punched him. "I'm kidding. How was yours?"

"Pretty normal. I uh… I met your friend today. The pretty blond one?"

Roxas immediately frowned. "She's not my friend."

"But she's pretty, huh?"

Roxas blushed slightly, but turned his attention out the window. "Whatever. Her personality is as ugly as it gets."

"But she's pretty?"

"That's not important!" Roxas said hotly. Xion snickered. Too easy!

Before Roxas got angry, Xion decided to drop it. She stored the valuable piece of information in her mind for later use. "Funny. I'm your best friend, but I don't see why Naminé should be the subject of your hatred."

"I don't hate her." Roxas interjected. Xion raised a brow, genuinely surprised with the reveal. "I just can't stand her. She's the textbook definition of a spoiled rich girl. I'm Naminé. I'm going to my summer home on an island completely funded by my parents, but that's not enough. I better make sure I get my art supplies before anything else! Never mind that Roxas has to work. Never mind that other people have other things to do. Oh fine, take Roxas to work. Just make sure you're out when I am!"

"Okay, enough, enough!" Xion groaned. Roxas couldn't mimic a girl's voice for his life. "I'm being honest when I say I didn't get any of that from Naminé. She was nice to me."

"Well obviously she's different now compared to when I first met her. You don't know what she was like before."

"Does it matter what she was like in the past? As far as I see it, she's a different person now."

"You're not going to convince me to like her, Xion." Roxas crossed his arms. "She might have changed a bit, but she's still a whiny brat. She's always been mean to me too, you know. You think this fight is one-sided?"

"Maybe she's just lashing out." Xion replied as she pulled up to the drive-thru. She quickly stated their orders.

"It's always been like that. She says something, I say something. I shoot back, she shoots back. That's why it's best if we avoid each other. Better for us, and better for everyone else."

"Two sea-salt ice creams?"

"That's us!" Xion greeted the guy at the window. She thanked the man, handing Roxas his ice cream. "There you go, you little baby!"

"Thanks mom!" Roxas joked. He immediately began eating. Silence prevailed as the two ate. While Roxas was focused on enjoying his ice cream, Xion was thinking about something else entirely.

"Roxas, will you promise me that you won't interrupt what I'm about to propose?"

"Why?" he asked with a snort. "Does it involve something I won't like?"

"It might."

"… What is it?" Roxas asked curiously.

"I think you and Naminé should spend more time together." Xion said simply. Roxas stared at his best friend in shock.

"Is it even possible to make pot-infused ice cream?" Roxas asked seriously, snatching Xion's ice cream out of her hands.

"Hey!" Xion stole her ice cream back, swerving the car in the process.

"Are you crazy? Focus on driving!"

"Then don't take my ice cream, you noob!" Xion slapped Roxas as quickly as she could with her driving hand. "And I'm serious. You and Naminé need to spend more time together. All this tension between you too is all some huge misunderstanding."

"A _misunderstanding?_" Roxas gaped. "Xion, I think this is more than a misunderstanding! I can't be next to the girl for fifteen minutes without her doing something that annoys me. You think this is all just some stupid misunderstanding?"

"Well how did this whole thing start, huh?" Xion shot back. "Do you remember why or how your little spats started? You don't have a freakin' clue, do you?"

Roxas huffed, crossing his arms angrily. "She's always looked at me like I was dirt! That's just the way it always was! Why can't you accept that people sometimes just don't get along?"

"Because I know you. And I might not know Naminé yet, but from what I gathered, she's definitely not the girl you think she is!"

"Well I'm glad you think so." Roxas said with finality. "But I am not going to spend any more time with her than I have to. I'm not going to put myself through hell just because you think Naminé and I misunderstand each other."

"Yes you are." Xion replied easily. "You promised you would hear me out. Here's how it works: you're going to spend all your free time with Naminé. If I'm wrong about you guys, I promise I'll do your homework for the next school year, including big projects. If I'm right… I'm right. That's it."

"No thank you."

"I'm not done yet, Roxas." Xion slowed the car to a stop at a red light. "You don't even need to like her, Roxas. I just want you to understand where she comes from."

The statement piqued Roxas's interest. "Wait. You mean I just have to put up with her?"

"Not exactly. I want you to understand her so that you guys don't fight anymore. I want you guys to at least _respect_ each other. You think wrongly of her, and she thinks wrongly of… well, she's not that far off, but she's kind of wrong…"

"Xion…" Roxas said warningly.

"Fine, you both have the wrong impression of each other. I just want to fix that. I'm your friend. Can't I want that?"

Roxas sat still, thinking it over. "I'm sorry Xion, but I'd rather spend the whole summer doing my own homework— and maybe yours— than ruining this summer."

"But that's if I'm wrong about the possibility that you two could learn to respect each other, Roxas. You lose nothing by accepting the proposal. You can only win: a future where you don't have to fight with Naminé or a future where you don't have to do your homework. Think about that as a reward for my failure."

"No, Xion. I'm not accepting it." Roxas crossed his arms. "It's a stupid idea. Quit wasting your time. Just accept that this is how it's going to be between us."

"No. You're going to accept these terms, Roxas."

"Or what?"

"I'll leave." Xion said with a shrug.

Roxas went rigid. Suddenly the car didn't seem as lively or as noisy as before. Silence enveloped the two, neither of them looking at each other. The tables had turned and Roxas wasn't laughing anymore. He spoke in a choked voice, "How can you leave? The results haven't come in yet."

"They did." Xion said. "Today. I got them today."

The anger building inside him was quickly replaced with anxiety. "What did it say?"

"If I'm giving you an ultimatum and using my condition as a bargaining chip, what do you think it said?" Xion avoided Roxas's eyes, checking each of her mirrors.

"Xion…" Roxas raised a hand, only to let it fall back in his lap. "Maybe it's wrong. All tests have a greater tendency to have a false positive over a false negative. It's how they're made."

"These tests are also very good at detecting when the result is truly positive." Xion reasoned. "It's more likely to be right than wrong."

"It's still possible."

"Roxas, both of my parents have it." Xion said sadly. The small smile on her face fought the sadness in her eyes. "We both knew it was more likely that I'd inherit it than not."

Roxas felt his heart sink in his chest. The world suddenly seemed to hate him. "This can't be real."

"Roxas, I want you to be happy. I _know_ that you and Naminé can at least stay in a room together without wanting to rip each other's heads off." Xion sat back as they reached another red light. "You really have nothing to lose. Unless you decline this offer, of course. Then you lose me."

Roxas stared at his friend in utter shock. Why did this have to happen to her out of all people? There were tons of bad people in the world that took the lives of others or took advantage of other people. Why did the world have to strike at his best friend? What did she do to deserve this?

"Why would you leave so early? Can you at least stay until the end of high school?" Roxas asked quietly.

"My leaving is under the condition that you don't accept. I guess that means you're still considering it?" Xion flicked her eyes in Roxas's direction.

"Xion, you can't make me do this. And you still have a lot of time yourself!"

"Roxas, my lifespan was essentially cut in half with these results." Xion laughed, attempting to get rid of the heavy feeling hanging over them. "Come on, Roxas. Let me help you out for once."

"You already have, Xion! And you can 'help me' by staying in town! Why do you need to leave anyway?"

"I told you the reason. I want to travel the world before it starts taking over."

"Well don't make me choose between doing this stupid thing and having my best friend around. This doesn't help me at all."

"Then let me help everyone." Xion begged. "Trust me on this one. If you and Naminé gave each other another chance, things would be different. You've just got to understand her, and she has to understand you." Xion looked over at Roxas and shoved him. "Hey! Quit looking so sad! I'm not moping about it, and neither should you!"

"You're using it to blackmail me. How can I not make a face like this?" His forlorn expression never left his face.

"You could always accept. Then you'll forget I even made you do this in the first place." Xion shrugged.

"How can you be so cool with this?"

"Because I've already accepted it, Roxas." Xion said with a small smile. "Am I happy that I'm probably going to die before I get to see which college your child goes to? Of course not. But I'm not about to let this inevitable future rule my life. It doesn't define me. If anything, I'm the one in control for now."

"Yeah, and you're using it against me." Roxas pouted at the sight of Xion's smile. He sighed. This girl really knew how to drive a hard bargain. He pinched the bridge of his nose, wondering how she managed to corner him like this. He swallowed hard. Roxas knew that he'd regret the decision as soon as he voiced it. "Are there any other conditions?"

Xion's eyes widened before a delighted smile formed on her face. "You'll do it?"

"I don't think I have a choice. I don't want to be anywhere within a mile of Naminé, but I don't want you to go either. So is there anything else I should know before I commit myself to a sweltering hell on earth for two and a half months?"

Xion squealed and reached over to wrap Roxas in a one-armed hug. The car nearly swerved off the road as a result, earning a feminine scream from Roxas. Xion pulled back, laughing giddily. "I can't believe you said yes!"

"I'll say yes a thousand times over if I make it out of this car alive." Roxas breathed out as he loosened his hold on the dashboard.

"Aww, see? You'd rather spend time with Naminé than die." Xion joked. Roxas deadpanned, earning a snort from his best friend. "What? I can't make jokes about death now? There goes half my repertoire."

"I don't think I can spend all my free time with Naminé, to be honest." Roxas returned the focus to the initial subject while flexing the muscles in his hand. "I think we should agree on a time quota. Say, four hours a day?"

"Psh. Given that you sleep at least eight hours— and you definitely sleep more— a day, that means you only have 16 hours of being awake. Only four out of those hours are going to be spent with Naminé? Heck no." Xion shook her head.

"Fine. How about six?"

"I was thinking more along the lines of fourteen." Xion's eyes narrowed with a sly smile.

"Fourteen hours? Are you crazy? What, now you want me to hold her hand as she poops?" Roxas's face had 'what the hell' written all over it. "That's way too much. What's wrong with six?"

"That's too little." Xion said thoughtfully. An idea quickly formed in her head, snapping her fingers as soon as it manifested. "Got it. How about you spend as much time with Naminé as Sora does with Kairi?"

Roxas's eye twitched. "How does that make sense?"

"Sora and Kairi got along. They're your siblings. Surely you and Naminé could at least reach an understanding if Sora and Kairi could form a friendship like that in equal time."

"You know more than anyone else that I'm nothing like Sora." Roxas crossed his arms.

"You're more similar than you think. But keep telling yourself that if it makes you feel like you're setting yourself apart from him." Roxas glared at his giggling friend. "I'm just saying! If Sora and Kairi could be best friends, then you and Naminé can be… neutral."

"As much time as Sora and Kairi, huh?"

"Every time Kairi and Sora are together, you're together." Xion said with a nod.

Roxas pondered the option. Maybe he could do that. Unlike Sora, he worked three days a week. "I can't miss work, you know. So what happens if Sora and Kairi hang out while I'm working?"

Xion shrugged. "Guess that's time that's out of your control."

Roxas smirked. Maybe he could work around this then. Sora and Kairi didn't really hang out _that_ much, right? If he played his cards correctly, he could spend half as much time with Naminé as Sora did with Kairi. He played with the numbers in his head. There were fourteen to sixteen available hours. Five to six of them were spent at work.

That left eight to eleven hours. Of those hours, he'd only have to spend about six to eight with Naminé, on average.

He could deal with six. The days with eight would be the real test.

"I don't have to make up any time because of work?" He checked again with Xion.

"Nope. That'd be a little impractical." Xion sat back. The traffic had stopped ahead because a bridge was raised. "You can't tell Naminé anything either. This has to look like you're making the effort to make amends. The only third party influence here is that I told you that you should. As far as _anyone_ knows, you're doing this because you want to."

"Not because my own best friend is making me?"

"Nope!" Xion shook her head with a smile. "Also, you need to work on reducing the insults. I don't expect you to stop overnight, but just filter it out of your system. Maybe you'll learn how to properly speak to a lady."

"She's the farthest thing from… ugh, fine." Roxas threw his hands up in defeat at Xion's glare. "I'll work on it. No promises though."

"I'll take that." She shrugged. "So have we reached our final agreement?"

"My time with Naminé is determined by the amount of time Sora spends with Kairi. I have to make this look like my doing. I don't have to make up for lost time. I have to try, but am not required, to stop insulting her at every opportune moment. I, Roxas, agree to these terms, lest I lose my best friend if I break the rules."

Xion smiled widely. "I, Xion, accept the terms of agreement that you've stated. I promise wholeheartedly that I will do all of my best friend's homework, including any big project, for the upcoming school year if it is revealed that Roxas and Naminé cannot reach an understanding or find respect for each other."

Roxas stared at the raised right hand of his best friend. "I'm not convinced."

Xion rolled her eyes. "Fine." She held her hand out. "Pinky swear."

Roxas chuckled, entwining his finger with hers. "Pinky swear." He nodded. Each of settled in their seats with a contented smile. "I think you better prepare for next school year, Xion. Sixteen years of feuds don't magically stop with two months of summer."

"Maybe you're right." Xion shrugged with a knowing smile. "Which is why we're getting an early start. Here!" Xion reached into the back of her car, handing Roxas the bundle of clothes in her hand.

Roxas stared down at his lap, raising a brow. "My swimming trunks?"

"Yup! Naminé is at the beach right now. We're going back to meet up with everyone. Go on, change!" Xion laughed at the look on Roxas's face.

"Seriously? We're starting today?"

"Like you said: enemies don't become friends over a summer." Xion smiled as the car moved forward. The bridge had finally returned to place.

"I have to change now?"

"Unless you'd rather change outside in the open."

He pouted. "Fine. Try to stay focused on the road."

Xion laughed. "Ha! Don't flatter yourself, Roxas. I've seen it all and I'd hardly call it distracting."

Roxas's face went red with embarrassment. "Oh shut up…"

* * *

><p>Something dawned on Roxas when he got out of the car. For some reason, the fact hadn't clicked in his head before. Did Xion understand what she had just proposed? It all seemed a little strange.<p>

"Wait." Roxas made his best friend pause. "Did you say that if Naminé and I don't come to an understanding, you'll do my homework for the next school year?"

"Yeah. I didn't make that clear enough?" She shielded her eyes from the bright light.

"So what do you get in the extremely improbable case that Naminé and I— dare I say it— come to an understanding?"

"The satisfaction that I'm right." Roxas looked unconvinced, so Xion continued. "I also get credit for ending a lifetime of fighting. If you're so wary of the conditions, why did you accept the proposal?"

"Because it's all in my favor. What are you up to?" Roxas narrowed his eyes in suspicion.

"I'm not up to anything. Let this thing play out, Roxas. Maybe you'll discover how even the odds actually are."

"How can it be evened when you have no way of enforcing this?" Xion rolled her eyes and made her way to the beach, forcing Roxas to follow. "What makes you think I'll actually do it? If you're not around, can't I just do whatever I want and lie?"

"I trust you won't. Would you deny me the happiness of turning a feud into a friendship? Moreover, would you lie about it to me?" Xion adjusted the umbrella that hung from her shoulder.

"I guess not." Roxas still didn't drop his suspicion. This was a little too good to be true. "And what exactly is keeping me from trying my hardest to make Naminé dislike me?"

"Nothing, I guess. I just expect you to be on your best behavior." Xion replied over her shoulder.

"What are you, my mother?"

"No. But I still expect you to be nice to her."

Roxas shook his head. Who in the world was Xion kidding?

He was going to make every effort to make it seem like Naminé was the one to blame for this little war.

* * *

><p>Riku and Naminé sat side by side, catching up with each other's lives. Naminé found that she really enjoyed talking to Riku. Sure, he didn't have an unshakable optimism and reason to smile all the time like Sora did, but he was what she would consider "real." Kairi was lucky to have the both of them as her best friends. They were great friends who would always protect her, and though Kairi might not have noticed, they'd support her unconditionally as well.<p>

"Ugh, just look at those two. Disgusting."

Naminé burst out into laughter. Never mind that she just complimented one of Kairi's best friends only for him to call her disgusting. "I don't really see what you mean."

"Just look at them." Riku leaned back, placing his hands behind him for balance. "The splashing game is all innocent and fun when you're eight. Now it's just a flirting game."

"You'd know?" Naminé raised a brow, a smile tugging the corners of her lips.

"Damn right." Riku dramatically flipped his hair for added effect. She liked Riku's self-deprecating humor. His, however, was more on a play on how beautiful he was. She could tell he feigned the don't-hate-me-'cause-I'm-beautiful persona many times. That, or he really thought he was that big of a deal.

"In all seriousness," Naminé crossed her legs and leaned back as well, "do you really think they're flirting?"

"I know the both of them really well. That's definitely flirting." Riku pointed two fingers in their direction. "How can it not be? And look how touchy-feely Kairi is with him. Has Kairi had boyfriends before? She sure has game."

"Maybe she's had two. I think both of them lasted a month or less, if I remember correctly."

"I thought so. Kairi's a real flirt now. And Sora— being Sora— has no idea he's being played." Riku nodded in Sora's direction. "Look at that. You think that hand on his arm is harmless? No. Oh wait, she just tackled him into the water."

"What, is that just an excuse to hug each other?" Naminé tried to get on the same thought train as Riku.

"Yup. You'd be surprised about how much physical contact can influence someone. Or extremely close proximity." Riku shrugged. "Then again, maybe Kairi is just like that with everyone. She was pretty touchy-feely with me too."

"Maybe she just couldn't keep her hands off you." Naminé giggled, leaning on Riku and placing her hands on his arm. "I know I can't. And look, physical contact. It means I'm into you."

"Now you're taking it out of context." Riku swatted Naminé's hand away with a laugh.

"Well I think you're stretching the context." Naminé shot back. "I think they're friendly touches. Just because there's physical contact doesn't mean they're romantically interested. It just shows they're comfortable with each other."

"We'll see then. Who knows Kairi more? One of her best friends or her twin sister?" Riku rubbed his chin and allowed the question to linger. He only spoke again when he noticed people approaching their area. "Looks like Xion and Roxas are back. I was wondering what took them so long."

Naminé whipped her head around in dread, only to find that Riku was telling the truth. She groaned loudly. "Great. I was just enjoying myself, and now he shows up."

"Hello, hello!" Xion skipped the last few yards, resting her hands on her knees when she reached the pair. Xion gave Naminé a wink. "I told you I'd be seeing you again soon."

"Yeah, I just didn't expect you to bring him along." Naminé muttered quietly. Roxas caught up and dropped his towel in the sand. He stared at Naminé, causing her to avert her gaze.

"Hey." He greeted. Riku raised a brow in shock and Naminé flicked her eyes back up at him. Neither could believe what they just heard. Riku looked at Xion, and then looked at Naminé expectantly.

"H-Hi." She said meekly. She quickly looked off in a different direction. _What the hell was going on?_

Riku had never felt so awkward in his life. As far as he knew, Roxas and Naminé hated each other. And judging from Sora's story on the car ride over, things haven't changed. But what he just witnessed— and he was quite sure it was real— completely contradicted any notion that Roxas and Naminé had a huge fight in their first hour together.

"What's up, Roxas?" Riku decided to greet the blond to break the silence.

"Eh, nothing much. I'm in a pretty good mood though since Xion bought me ice cream." Roxas shrugged as he sat down. Naminé scooted away as if he had some sort of disease.

"Uh-huh." Riku nodded. He turned his gaze to Xion, who was casually lathering her body with sunscreen. He narrowed his eyes. She was almost certainly behind this. After all, she did talk with Naminé earlier, and then she had the car ride to get to Roxas. Just what exactly did she manage to accomplish?

"Sora and Kairi look like they're having fun there." Xion nodded in the direction of the water. "How is it out there?"

"Pretty refreshing." Riku answered. "You guys wanna go in?"

"Definitely." Xion closed the bottle of sunscreen and stood up.

"Yeah—" Roxas too was about to get up, but a quick look from Xion made him stay in place. "Um, actually, I shaved this morning. I'll stay out of the water today."

"Ah, I don't blame you." Riku stretched, looking at Naminé. "What about you?"

"I'll stay, thanks." Naminé watched Riku and Xion walk off. She then turned to Roxas, noticing he was staring at her. "What?"

"You couldn't have just said yes, huh?" Roxas rolled his eyes.

"What the heck are you talking about?"

"Why couldn't you have said yes? Then we wouldn't be stuck here while everyone's swimming and having fun." Roxas grumbled, wiping the excess sunscreen on his legs.

Naminé stared at the new Roxas with doubt. "Look, I don't know what's gotten into you— I'm guessing Xion had something to do with it— but nobody is making you stay here. I don't know why you're saying all that when you could just as easily get up and go swim."

"Pfft, I wish…" He crossed his arms. "Don't you need a tan anyway? You're starting to look like a ghost."

"Okay, that's it." Naminé turned around and glared full force. "I don't know what she told you, but you can either get up or shut up. Choose now."

Roxas smirked. _Petty threats again?_ "Nah, I'm okay. Besides, now that we're alone together, why not try to be friends?"

Naminé's eye twitched. "What the hell? Are you crazy?"

"No. I'm friendly." He pressed his lips together to keep from laughing.

"You really think that I'm just going to agree to be friends with you when all you've done is insult me?"

Almost every inch of Roxas wanted to say no, but that wouldn't be entertaining enough. So he ignored the angry response with a shrug and replied, "Yup. I do."

"Wow. You really are crazy." Naminé shook her head in disbelief. "You're not even going to apologize?"

"What do I have to apologize for? I'm trying to be friendly. You're the one that's all hostile."

"Me? I'm the hostile one?" Naminé laughed humorlessly. "Listen. I don't know what you're trying to pull, but I'm not forgiving you until you apologize."

"Okay. I guess I'm sorry then." Roxas fell back to lie down.

"Let me rephrase that: I'm not forgiving you until you apologize and mean it. So you can drop this stupid little charade of yours and get as far away from me as possible."

"No can do." Roxas smirked. "We're going to be friends now! Aren't you excited?"

"No. I'd be excited if you got up and left though. Care to do that, friend?"

"Nah. It's important for friends to spend time with each other." Naminé grimaced at the sight of Roxas's obviously staged smile.

"This is possibly the worst day of my life." She shook her head. Never before had she been so confused. What the hell did Xion say to Roxas to make him a million times worse than he already was?

* * *

><p><strong>Redeeming Endeavor<strong>:

Chapter Data- Total Editing Time: 852 minutes. Word Count: 7,103. Per usual, please notify me if you found any mistakes/errors.

My gratitude goes out to the many readers and subscribers out there. I didn't think LPA would get so many hits and subscriptions since it's in a smaller pairing category, but I was pleasantly surprised that I was wrong. Special thanks to **ResoluteResolve, 0Wishful-Thoughts0, CapriciousXXIISerenader, maluka, CaptainJas, typewrite, jollipops, akemithebazookagirl, ash09, VIII, Hegodart, Lupus7**, **FanfictionFanatiction, Handwritten, BlackButterfly9, Aaralynne,** **happy reader**, and **KeybladeMaster97** for reviewing!

Harmless Author Fact #3: My favorite color is red. Shout out to those of you who also think red is the best color in the world!

Until next time, take care! I'll see you around.


	4. Potential Energy

Chapter 4: Potential Energy 

Roxas groaned in exhaustion as he fell onto his bed. Just about everything Naminé said and did today annoyed him to no end. And why didn't the damn girl _swim?_ It was freaking hot out there! If it wasn't for Riku separating Sora from Kairi, Roxas might have fainted from a heat stroke.

At least now he could enjoy his alone time. After a long and cool shower, Roxas threw himself on his bed and turned on his TV. He planned to spend the rest of the day watching the Power Rangers season of his childhood.

A knock on the door interrupted Roxas's thoughts. He threw a cold pillow on his face. _Go away._ "Don't come in. I'm not dressed." He heard the door to his room open regardless of his wishes. "What do you want?"

"How did it go?" Xion asked giddily as she jumped on the bed. She looked him over, noticing he was only wearing his boxers. "And sorry for interrupting your undie time. I know how much you enjoy it."

"You're not sorry. You wouldn't have come in if you actually cared." Roxas removed the pillow to see his best friend smiling back at him. He threw another pillow over his body to cover himself up a little more. "And it was probably the hardest thing I've ever done in my life. I think she tries to annoy me on purpose."

"Oh, and I suppose you genuinely wanted to befriend her, huh?" Xion raised a brow. "That's right. I heard some of what you said to her. Sounded to me like _you_ were trying annoy _her._"

"There is nothing in our deal that says I can't do that. I'm abiding by your rules. I'm laying off the insults. She's the one that's throwing them out like candy."

"Don't be such a baby." Xion propped her head in her hand, staring at the back of Roxas's head. "Seems to me like things are going well so far. We're already seeing improvement."

"Well hopefully I don't see her again today. Everything I've done up to this point might be undone." Roxas mumbled tiredly.

"What exactly did you accomplish? If anything you made her dislike you more with your approach."

"Your losing term is 'Roxas and Naminé don't get along' so I'm playing this in my favor. If she is the one pushing me away, I technically win."

"So now you're going to put effort into _continuing_ this fight with her?"

"I blame you." Roxas chuckled at Xion's pout. "You should have never enticed me to lose."

"That's an awful lot of time and energy to commit."

"Perhaps, but I think doing a year's worth of homework and projects is more work."

Xion slapped Roxas square in the chest, making him cry out in pain. "I knew you wouldn't play fair. You always have to cheat to beat me." She grinned wickedly, receiving Roxas's glare. "That's why I told your brother about our little arrangement."

"You did _what_?"

"Roxas!" Sora came dashing through Roxas's open door and also jumped on his bed.

Roxas groaned. "Are we all just ignoring the fact that I have no clothes on right now?"

"Forget undie time! You and I are going to Kairi's!" Sora said excitedly.

Roxas lifted his face from his pillow, looking around the room for help. His best friend did nothing to save him. "Why? Can't we just stay here? I'm tired."

"I thought you had to be around Naminé every time I was with Kairi." Sora raised a brow in confusion, looking to Xion for answers.

"He does. If he doesn't, he loses." Xion lifted Roxas's head by his hair, revealing his face from its fluffy hiding spot. "Hey, your brother here is going to be my enforcer when I'm not around. If I get word that you're not acting within terms, then that's it."

Roxas freed his head from Xion and sat up. "Yes ma'am."

"Man," Sora shook his head with an impressed look on his face, "how do you make Roxas listen to everything you say? Whatever you have over him, I want it too!"

Xion giggled. "Trust me. You don't." She could tell Sora was about to get curious, so she quickly said something to throw him off. "You and Roxas would have an extremely immoral relationship if you did. And I'm pretty sure incest— or twincest, in this case— is illegal in most countries. This one included."

Sora grimaced when he understood what Xion meant. "Blech! Gross. Never mind then. Keep that power over him. It's all yours." He quickly ran out of the room, telling them that he was leaving in fifteen minutes.

Roxas turned to his best friend with a frown. "That's seriously the only thing you could come up with?"

"It's the only believable thing I could come up with." Xion poked his forehead with her finger. "You better get ready. And don't forget to pack. I hear Sora's sleeping over."

Roxas threw his head back and groaned. "Are you kidding me? I have to sleep over their house now?"

"Guess so!" Xion said lightly. "It's only one night though. You can handle that, right?"

"You suck." Roxas muttered as he got out of bed. He opened is drawers and pulled out the first pair of shorts and shirt he could find. "You're totally not playing by the rules. You told someone about our little agreement. Now Sora is going to want to hang with Kairi all day and I can't do anything about it."

Xion got up as well, only to leave the room. "I play to win. I warned you when we first met that I'd be an awful friend too."

"Yeah, you are." The blond muttered unhappily. His best friend merely laughed at him.

"Whine all you want, but the agreement still stands. And Roxas," Xion turned around at the doorway, a smile on her face. "Since when do I play by the rules?"

Roxas questioned why he ever accepted this stupid thing. But as he thought about Xion's parting words, a smile formed on his face. He asked the question to the empty room,

"Since when do either of us play by the rules?"

* * *

><p>Naminé was drawn from her thoughts when she heard the doorbell ring. She noticed her sister immediately leave her room to get the door. She placed her tablet down and looked down the hallway. "Kairi, who's at the door?"<p>

"Oh, just Sora and Roxas." Kairi replied casually. She laughed when she heard the door to Naminé's room close almost immediately. _How dramatic._ She opened the door and smiled at the two visitors. "Hey guys!"

"Hi Kairi!" Sora greeted excitedly Roxas smiled and nodded wordlessly, following his brother inside. Kairi closed the door behind him. "Where's Naminé?"

"In her room. She's probably asleep." Kairi lied for her twin. "Long days at the beach really wear her out."

"Taking naps at this time make it hard to fall asleep at night." Sora said in a textbook-like fashion.

"I suppose you would know the best times for naps, you lazy bum!" Kairi teased the boy by ruffling his hair.

"Um, yeah! She might sleep through dinner and wake up thinking it's already morning! Trust me, evening naps are the worst!" Sora dropped his small backpack on the couch. "Roxas, why don't you go wake Naminé up?"

Roxas looked at Sora for a second before looking away nonchalantly. "Nah, I'm okay."

Sora's eye twitched. Was he really going to have to call Xion already? "No, I insist. I really think she needs to be woken up now."

"Let her sleep. Girl needs her rest." Roxas shrugged. He jumped onto the couch. "Anything good on TV?"

Sora grabbed the remote that Roxas was reaching for and held it above his head victoriously. Roxas merely raised a brow. "Roxas, I'm going to help Kairi unpack. I _really_ think you should go wake Naminé up right now. Or maybe I should—"

"Fine." Roxas interrupted angrily. He glared at Sora, and then slowly got up from the couch. "Have it your way. But remember, keep your paws off Kairi." Roxas strode by a mortified Sora with a smirk on his face. "And Kairi, don't be afraid to call for help if he—"

"Good-bye, Roxas!" Sora rudely shoved his brother in the direction of Naminé's room. Kairi looked at the brothers, lost in the small argument that had just taken place.

"What was that about?"

Sora laughed it off, folding his hands behind his head. "Just ignore him. He's just mad because…" Sora caught himself before he revealed a crucial detail of Roxas and Xion's agreement.

"What? Why is he mad?" Kairi was surprised to find that Sora was keeping something from her and it intrigued her greatly. He never kept anything from her.

"Let's just unpack your stuff!" Sora made his way down the hallway that led to Kairi's room. "Do you have a lot left?"

"I only unpacked things that I didn't want you unpacking for me." Kairi followed Sora into her room. "Sora, you were going to tell me what that whole exchange was about."

"I was?" He looked around the room nervously. Why wasn't she letting it go?

"Actually, you were trying to avoid telling me. You still are." Kairi pulled a few hangers from her closet and threw them on her bed. "Why won't you tell me?"

Sora hated it when Kairi used that tone with him. Nothing in the world could make him feel so _guilty_. He squeezed his eyes shut. "I just can't."

"Is it a secret? I won't tell anyone. I promise." Kairi walked up to Sora, taking hold of both of his hands. "Please tell me? Please?"

Sora wanted to slam his face on a hard surface. He promised Xion that he wouldn't tell anyone, but he also made a promise that he wouldn't keep anything from Kairi when they were children. Surely an older promised carried more priority than a newer one.

Then again, Sora _was_ keeping something from Kairi. He opened his eyes and blushed madly when he saw Kairi staring back.

But keeping his feelings a secret from her was necessary for their friendship! What if she didn't feel the same way? If he had told her everything and she didn't feel the same way, then he could only blame his promise to Kairi.

But then again, was keeping this promise really necessary for their friendship? If Kairi knew about it, maybe she would help…

"Sora, what are you thinking about?" Kairi asked impatiently. She threw Sora's hands down in frustration. "Just tell me already!"

Sora gulped. He couldn't keep it from Kairi. _Sorry Xion._ "Well, you know how Roxas and Naminé are our siblings?"

Kairi looked at him disappointingly. Some secret. "Uh, yeah. Are you going to tell me that they don't like each other now?"

"Um, there's that…" Sora rubbed the back of his neck nervous before speaking as fast as he could. "And there's the fact that _Roxaminé have t' spen' ti'gether_."

Kairi deadpanned. "Sora, enough with the games already! Just tell me! Slowly this time."

Sora inhaled. "Roxas and Naminé have to spend time together. That's it."

"That's it? Really?"

"Yup. Well," Sora felt itchy all over for betraying Xion. "He only has to spend as much time together as…" he mumbled off, turning away to put a hanger through a shirt.

"As?" Kairi asked. She was growing even more impatient. Sora didn't usually make her fish for answers.

"Us." He said with a shrug.

Kairi blinked. "Us?"

"Roxas only has to spend time with Naminé if we're… together." Sora finished. He braced himself for Kairi's reaction.

Kairi's hands fell to her side as she digested the information. "So anytime you and I are together, Roxas and Naminé have to be together?" Sora nodded slowly. "That… is… brilliant!" Kairi broke out into a fit of laughter. Not knowing what else to do, Sora slowly joined in. "Sora, that's hilarious! And it's brilliant! You know what I think? I think they'll both secretly enjoy it anyway. Something tells me those two have a thing for each other…"

"Kairi, you've been saying that for years. Their relationship hasn't really improved. Plus, I think Roxas likes Xi—"

"It hasn't improved because they've always tried avoiding each other! Do you get it, Sora?"

Sora shook his head. "Get what?"

"Well, we obviously have to spend as much time together as possible! That won't be hard for us, obviously, and it'll force Roxas to be around Naminé too!"

Sora couldn't pass the offer up. Spend as much time as possible with Kairi? _Yes please! _But what about those times when Roxas had to work? Xion had told him that Roxas only had to utilize his own free time and didn't have to make up for any of it.

But spending as much time as possible with Kairi… the idea was too good to be true. Sora grappled with his options. Should he tell Kairi that they only needed to be together when Roxas was actually available? He looked at Kairi. He'd get to spend almost all day with her if he didn't say anything…

Kairi, therefore, didn't need to know about that condition. "That sounds like a great idea!" Sora smiled at his crush.

He figured that Kairi only offered the idea to fix the problem with Roxas and Naminé, but if he could actually gain something from it— more time with the girl he liked— then how could he pass it up?

"Then we're set! Until Roxas and Naminé are dating, we are going to be inseparable!" Kairi pumped her fist into the air enthusiastically.

"Yea— wait, what?" Sora stopped mid-fist pump as he processed what Kairi had said. He wanted to tell her that Roxas and Naminé didn't have to like each other per se. They just had to stop fighting.

But did Kairi need to know about that condition too?

"Is something wrong?"

Sora found himself staring at Kairi again. _Did she really have to know that?_ He vocally answered both his own question and Kairi's.

"Nope!"

* * *

><p>Naminé was thoroughly confused with the day's events. She ran through her thoughts as she played with her tablet, dabbling with all the cool features and applications she recently acquired.<p>

Her whole morning with Roxas was spent fighting with him because he was being such an ass. Then, in the afternoon, he suddenly wants to be friends, but does everything he can to annoy her. It's like he started expressing his anger toward her in a different way. And it did _nothing_ but make Naminé even surer that she just couldn't stand the boy. She didn't know why he chose to sit on the beach with her and attempt to annoy her— for example, throwing sand at her to ask if she thought it was hot— instead of swimming with his friend.

Speaking of his friend, what exactly did she do to him? Naminé thought she liked Xion, but now it was up in the air again. She was definitely behind Roxas's change in attitude. She had to have been involved. But how? What did she say to Roxas that made him more infuriating than he already was?

She understood why Sora was here, but why did Roxas come? Was he seriously trying to be friends with her? Impossible.

Naminé was surprised to see the door to her room slowly open. She mentally cursed for not locking the door, for on the other side of the door was none other than Roxas.

Both of them stared at each other without muttering a word: Naminé sat on her bed with wide eyes, meeting the indecipherable blue eyes of Roxas at her door. The staring contest broke when he did something strange. He looked behind him for a few seconds before turning back to Naminé. He repeated the action again, as if he was seeing something that she wasn't.

"What?" she asked impatiently.

He smirked at her. "It's almost dinner time."

"And? What's your point?"

"Oh, it's just funny I guess." He replied cryptically. "I'm just a tiny bit confused because I see you here," he pointed at the floor of her room, "but… the kitchen's over there." He pointed with his other hand in the opposite direction. "Doesn't really add up, does it?"

Naminé swore her blood pressure rose the second she felt her eye twitch. There was no way in hell he was trying to be friends. He was probably trying to act all friendly in front of Xion. With her gone, the real Roxas was back. The annoying, sexist pig— the douche bag— had returned.

"Get out of my room. Now." She said shortly. Naminé couldn't remember the last time she was this angry. Unfortunately, Roxas appeared to be unfazed.

"No can do. I'm stuck here."

"Get out." Naminé said as sternly as possible.

"Is this your laptop?" Roxas walked over to the desk and picked it up. "Pretty high end stuff you got here. How much did—"

"Don't touch my stuff!" Naminé jumped off her bed and walked toward Roxas, but he quickly backed off. "Why the heck are you here? Just leave already!"

"I already told you I can't." Roxas seemed genuinely entertained by Naminé's anger. "How many times do I— wait, is that a tablet?" He ran over to Naminé's bed and picked it up. "Whoa! A laptop _and_ a tablet? If that's not the most redundant thing I've ever seen… what the hell do you need both for?"

Naminé growled. "Roxas! Get out of my room _now._"

"You seem genuinely pissed now." He stated matter-of-factly. His demeanor only infuriated Naminé even more. Was he really not taking her seriously?

"I'm just about ready to castrate you." She said in a low voice. This time, Roxas let on that he felt threatened.

"Hey, easy…" he held his hands up in a defensive posture. "I'll get out now. Yup. I'll just take this with me!" Roxas darted out of Naminé's room— iPad in tow— before Naminé could tell him to leave it.

She followed him out of the room, only to watch him run into the bathroom down the hall. She attempted to catch up, but he successfully locked himself in the bathroom in time.

"Roxas! Get out of there this instant!"

"You just told me to leave you alone! Make up your damn mind, woman!"

Banging on the door, Naminé yelled at the annoying boy, "I want my iPad back!"

"No! We're friends now! Sharing is caring!"

"Like hell I care about you! Now _open this door!_"

"No! I'm already pooping!" Roxas laughed on the other side of the door.

"Hey Naminé!" Kairi greeted her sister cheerily with Sora in tow. "Sora and I are going to the store to get some groceries. Do you want anything?"

"Whatever! Just make him get out of the bathroom! He has my iPad!"

Kairi turned to Sora, a questioning look on her face. "Is he allowed to do that?"

Sora scratched his head. "I'm pretty sure he's allowed to poop in private, and vice versa. That'd be gross if they couldn't…"

Kairi clapped her hands together. "Okay then! Sorry Nam, we can't help you. Bye-bye now!"

Naminé looked at the pair in disbelief. What the hell were they talking about?

"Hey, do you have disinfectant under the sink here? I smeared a little—"

Naminé, thoroughly revolted by what he was suggesting, threw her fists against the door and screamed at the top of her lungs, "ROXAS!"

"Never mind, I found some wipes!" Roxas chirped teasingly.

"You're a freaking asshole!" She made one more go at the door knob before giving up. "As soon as you get out of there, I'm going to cut you and enjoy every second of it!"

Roxas was silent for a while, listening to Naminé's labored breathing. "Well that's a little blown out of proportion. All I wanted to do was use your tablet."

"Are you sure they'll be all right? Something tells me it wasn't a good idea to leave those two alone in the house."

"For the last time, drop it, Sora! If Naminé really wanted to kill your brother, she would have found a way to open that bathroom door while we were there!" Kairi laughed heartily. Sora bit his lip. That did nothing to reassure him.

"I don't know, she sounded pretty angry…"

"That's bound to happen when they're together. Let it go." Kairi parked the car right in front of the pizza restaurant they ordered from. "Pick the pizzas up?"

"Yeah, I got it." Sora exited Kairi's car and walked in, disappearing from sight. Kairi sighed. Was she doing a bad thing by using Roxas's… whatever it was… to spend more time with Sora? She genuinely did want Roxas and Naminé to like each other, but it wasn't her only motivating factor. It wasn't even the _biggest_ factor, and it definitely should have been.

But she really wanted to spend more time with Sora this summer. Over her spring break visit, Kairi became sure of one thing: she liked her best friend. She wholeheartedly desired a romantic relationship with him, but the switch from platonic to romantic was exceptionally difficult when it had been steadily "just friends" for so long.

She shook her head, willing the thoughts away. Kairi felt bad about her motives, but at least she was helping Naminé and Roxas too.

Pulling out her phone, Kairi opened an app to check her location in. She was surprised to find that Roxas had befriended Naminé online. _That was fast_. Moreover, she noticed Naminé's strange status. "Why in the world would she… oh." Then Kairi remembered what Roxas had run off with. "Oh boy." She was about to let Naminé know about the embarrassing headline, but Sora returned to the car with the food.

"We did order one cheese, one pepperoni, and then one with half of each, right?"

"Yup!" Kairi forgot that she was supposed to tell Naminé about her status. "Can you and Roxas really eat whole large pizzas by yourself?"

"Of course! I like to think I eat more than he does though. I have pepperoni on mine, after all."

"Yeah, Naminé only eats cheese too." Kairi said off-handedly. Then, a thought occurred to her. "Those two are more similar than they think. I mean, they like a lot of the same thing. Like the breakfast order this morning? What were the chances that they liked the same thing?"

"That's true. And then you have cheese pizza. Does Naminé drink coffee?"

"Yup. Two creams and two sugars."

"Roxas gets it the same way!" Sora said excitedly. "He drinks a lot of coffee during winter. It's his favorite season."

"Well lo and behold, it's Naminé's too!" The two shared a laugh. "I swear, it's like they were made for each other."

"Yeah. They really do share a lot in common. Like us!" Sora smiled as he stared at Kairi. "We like a lot of the same things too."

"Yup. Our love for strawberry ice cream, our favorite color, our favorite school subject…"

"Our favorite pastime, our favorite holiday…" Sora continued off the list. "Say, do you think we're also…" he stopped himself as a blush crept onto his face.

Kairi felt her face grow warmer. By her logic, she and Sora… "You know, forget I said anything. A lot of people share the same likes and dislikes!" She laughed unconvincingly.

Sora played along. "Psh, yeah! Just because I have the same favorite cereal as a terrorist doesn't mean we're meant to be together… ha…"

"Yeah, I know right?" Kairi laughed again. As soon as their eyes connected, they looked away.

Neither of them could muster the gut to look at the other the rest of the way home.

Naminé sat in her room, brooding. She never did that before. Correction: she never did that unless Roxas was somehow involved.

She sat on her bed, her knees drawn up to her chest, and stared down the hallway. She didn't know how much time had passed— perhaps thirty or forty minutes— but she kept her eyes on the spot where Roxas would. The plan was simple: jump the bitch before he could run.

She was patient, too. Not many people would sit in the same place for such a long time to exact revenge. But Naminé would. She was willing to wait as long as she needed to if it meant getting the chance to kick Roxas in the groin.

A cruel smile formed on Naminé's lips. Oh, the satisfaction she would get with one good kick…

Her cell phone rang once, notifying her about a change. She picked it up, surprised to see that six people liked her status.

_Weird. I don't remember putting a status up._ Her brows curled as she opened her own profile. She read the status aloud. "Nam… _likes to braid her butt hairs?_"

_What the hell_?

Confused at first, she looked through the list of names that liked her status. Most of them were boys, but the first caught her attention. "I'm not friends with Roxas…" She looked up immediately.

Coincidentally, she looked up at the exact moment when Roxas looked back to see if Naminé noticed him leaving the bathroom. He froze like a deer in the headlights.

Neither of the blondes moved from their spot: one too surprised (and probably pissed) to actually move, the other too afraid to see what would happen if he did move. A heavy silence hung between them for a good minute.

After the staring contest, Roxas was the first to gather himself and boldly speak. "Hey. We're officially friends online now, if you haven't seen already."

Roxas had never seen Naminé move so fast in his life, and it was absolutely _terrifying_. He shrieked like a little girl and ran into the dining room, running to the other side of the table. Naminé was hot on his heels, skidding to a stop across from him. Every time she made a move to run around the table and grab Roxas, he slinked away by running in the opposite direction.

"You freaking moron! You asshole! You douchebag!" Naminé hurled the string of insults like daggers.

"Hey! That's no way to talk to a guest!" Roxas chuckled as he ran around the table. "That's actually very mean!"

"You're not my guest! That would entail that you're welcomed here, and you're definitely not!"

"But aren't we friends?"

"Are you out of your _freaking mind?_"

"Hey guys, could you help us with the groceries— oh my god!" Kairi immediately clamped a hand over her mouth as Roxas ran past her like a frightened squirrel. "Sora!"

Sora quickly ran over and wrapped his free arm around Naminé's waist, keeping her from chasing Roxas. Kairi quickly took the pizzas out of Sora's other hand so he could hold her in place.

"Let me go! Your brother is driving me crazy!"

Roxas looked down at himself before grinning cockily. "Well I do have that effect on some people…"

"When I get my hands on you—"

"Oh you'd like that huh—"

"Naminé, calm down!" Kairi yelled at her sister. "And Roxas, quit teasing her and give her iPad back. You guys are like children!"

"She started it." Roxas mumbled.

"You started it!" the restrained blonde yelled back. "He hacked my profile and put some stupid status up!"

"What'd you put?" Sora asked curiously.

"That Naminé likes to braid her butt hairs."

Sora snickered.

"Sora!" Kairi slapped her best friend's arm.

"Sorry, sorry…" he fought down a smile. He knew he shouldn't have sided with his brother.

"Roxas, give me that. Now." Kairi held her hand out to receive Naminé's tablet. Roxas gingerly placed it in her hands. Kairi in turn placed it in Naminé's hands. "Sora, let Naminé go now."

Sora released her. Much to everyone's relief, Naminé didn't lunge at Roxas. She merely went through her tablet and eyed it suspiciously.

"Now, can we all sit down and eat pizza?" Kairi looked around the room, making sure no one would attempt to kill the other. "Good. Let's eat."

Wary that the two would start fighting again, Kairi and Sora made sure to stay directly between their siblings. It didn't take long before the insults started flying again.

"Pull something like that and you'll wish you never started this fight." Naminé scowled.

"Oh really? What are you going to do? De-friend me?"

"No. I'll castrate you while you're sleeping." Naminé said simply. Roxas gulped. That sounded serious.

Roxas and Sora didn't sleep over that night.

* * *

><p>Needless to say, Roxas returned home feeling rather victorious. Not only did he manage to get himself out of an unwanted sleepover, but he also pissed Naminé off in the process. It was oddly satisfying to know that he won tonight. A small part of him was also confident that he'd win— or Xion would lose, whatever— the little arrangement he preemptively agreed to. If things kept up like this, he was in good shape.<p>

He laughed to himself as he lay in bed, happy with the results of the night. Sora was probably a little mad at him for ruining his time with Kairi, but his brother would get over it. Sora wasn't one to dwell on the past and hold grudges. Roxas got all of that.

He sat up from his bed, changing into his sleeping clothes. Remembering that he had messed around on Naminé's account, he walked over to his computer and booted it up. He friend-requested her (and accepted it under her name) just so he could see how many people liked the status he gave her. He snickered again. Sora definitely would have found that funnier if Kairi had let him.

Never before had the little red numbers made Roxas so happy. Seeing the amount made him grin wider. Perfect. Looks like everyone else saw Naminé's status.

But when he opened the notifications, he frowned as he read through them. "My status?" he asked aloud. He checked the name in the top right, and sure enough, it was his profile. "I don't remember putting…"

Blue eyes widened in horror at the realization. He was on _his_ profile when he had to give Naminé her tablet back. That could only mean—

Roxas quickly checked his profile with a frown, which soon changed into shock and mortification. Right next to his name, Naminé had taken the liberty to leave him a status— one that more than fifteen of his friends liked and commented on.

Following his name were the words "_Just pooped out of my vagina. Might need help. Don't think that's normal :-)"_

_Naminé and 16 others like this._

"Urgh! Naminé!" the computer desk shook as his closed fists made contact. Roxas was beyond pissed now.

That was it. Roxas forgot all about his agreement to be nicer to Naminé. Nope, that was not the priority anymore.

This was war, and the most wanted public enemy on this summer's list was none other than a blonde named Naminé.


	5. Dynamic Equilibrium

Chapter 5: Dynamic Equilibrium

Though those Radiant Garden sisters had only been at the Islands for three days, Xion was sure the girls spent at least a third of those seventy-two hours with their male twin counterparts. At first she thought the amount of time was in her favor; but as the hours passed, she actually grew a little worried. Roxas and Naminé apparently took their fighting to the web. Xion couldn't help but feel slightly responsible for that. After all, she was the one who ordered Roxas to befriend her.

Maybe that wasn't such a good idea.

Nevertheless, Xion knew that she would have to use some effort to ensure that she'd win the wager. So after picking Roxas up from work one day, she thought it would be a good idea to take the blond pair to the mall. Neither party knew the other would be coming along. This gave her a chance to see how they were doing too.

And to supervise Roxas.

"Ugh, female drivers…" Roxas shook his head as they passed a highway. "This isn't the best way to get to the mall, you know."

Xion ignored Roxas's insult and kept her eyes trained on the road. "I'm stopping by a friend's house first. What are you in a rush for? Looking forward to the summer dress sales too, I'm guessing?"

"If I had any influence on this matter, I'd be home by now." Roxas sighed, running a hand through his hair.

"Well it's a good thing you don't. I know you secretly want to spend your day shopping with me anyway." Xion smiled to herself as she turned on a more familiar road.

"What are we doing here?" Roxas asked abruptly as he recognized the neighborhood. "Sora told me he wasn't meeting up with Kairi until later today."

"That's great for Sora, I guess. But you and I are going to go shopping with Naminé today!" Xion drummed on the steering wheel with excitement. She parked on the street, unbuckling herself and stepping out of the car. "Wait here. I'll be back in a sec."

"No thanks, I'll walk home."

"Stay." She ordered sternly. Xion ignored the glare she received from Roxas and ran to the door, ringing it multiple times. To her delight, Naminé answered.

"Xion? What are you doing here?" Naminé looked at the girl in surprise.

"I'm here to take you to the mall. I get emails on special sales and there's one today that we just _have_ to go to."

"I'm actually busy right now." Naminé rubbed her upper arm and looked down the hallway. "Kairi and I are going through the clothes we left here and boxing the ones that are too small. Sora was going to take us to the donation center later today."

"Oh, that's perfect!" Xion clapped her hands together and walked inside. Naminé raised a brow, but instead closed the door behind her. "So you need new clothes?"

"Oh, that's not what I meant…"

"Kairi!" Xion's call echoed throughout the house. The redhead walked out of her bedroom, looking for the owner of the voice.

"Xion… I didn't know you were here!" Kairi smiled widely as she walked into the living room. "What's going on?"

'Your sister and I are going shopping—"

"Wait—"

"And I was wondering if you wanted to join us!" Xion continued without letting Naminé interrupt.

Kairi looked to the ceiling in thought. "I don't know. I really want to go, but I still have some stuff to do. Besides, I don't need new clothes as badly as my sister. I updated my wardrobe over this past spring break."

"All right!" Xion looked at the blond, nodding in approval at the sight of her white dress. "You look like you're ready. Shall we head out?"

"I actually have more small clothes to sort through than Kairi…"

"Naminé, I got it. I promise that you won't owe me anything too. Besides, don't you need to get new bras?"

"Kairi!"

"What? This is a house of ladies! Why so embarrassed?"

"There's a sale on that stuff too!" Xion bounced excitedly. "Where's your stuff? Let's go already! The stores have been open all morning!"

"Just give me a sec..." The blonde retreated to her room, leaving Kairi and Xion alone in the living room. They started talking as soon as Naminé was out of sight.

"Is Roxas in the car?" Kairi asked with a hint of a smile.

"Yup. I sorta sprung this on him too. I figured that if I tried talking them through it, I'd make life harder for myself. Say, is there anything in particular that Naminé has an eye for? Something that she can't resist checking in a store that's having a sale, to be more specific."

"Dresses. For sure. I don't know if you noticed, but she doesn't wear shorts or pants like I do." Kairi motioned at her ensemble— a pink t-shirt and khaki shorts that ended above mid-thigh— and pointed down the hall. "She's a dress girl."

"Perfect. I'm sure I'll be able to lure her with that then." Xion finished the conversation as Naminé stepped out, looking more presentable. A large white purse was slung over her shoulder.

"Kairi, I just threw all my small clothes on the bed. Everything else is still good, so don't give any of that stuff away." Naminé looked through her shoe rack for the appropriate match as she explained. "Xion, when can I expect to be back home?"

"Oh, in a couple hours I guess…" Xion shrugged. "Let's hurry. I left my car running. Hopefully it's still there…"

"You don't have to worry. This is a nice neighborhood. Nobody would steal your car." Naminé reassured her.

"It's not your neighbors I'm worried about." Xion grinned widely. "Kairi, I'm sure I'll see you later. Let's go, Naminé!"

"See you guys later!" Kairi saw her sister and friend off, closing the door behind them. As soon as she locked the door, she ran to the window in hope for a show. She came just in time to see Naminé turn on her heel and attempt to run back inside. Kairi laughed as Xion pulled her back and essentially threw her into the back seat. She was sure that Roxas was rattling off about her presence, made obvious by the angry look and animated conversation he seemed to be having with himself.

Kairi watched them drive off. She hoped that Xion could do what she and all of her friends had failed to do for the past years. Roxas seemed to listen to her, and Naminé was too nice to say no to a girl she wasn't completely comfortable with.

If anyone had a chance, it was Xion.

* * *

><p>Xion made sure to separate the two on the car ride over and found a parking spot immediately. She was sure that both Roxas and Naminé were angry at her by the time she opened the doors to the first store.<p>

Well they could hate _her_ all they wanted. They just couldn't hate each other.

In the department store, Xion dragged Naminé over to the women's section (Roxas in tow) in hopes of bonding with the girl. At first, Naminé was adamant that she didn't want to be there. But Xion had her ways. Naminé was a girl, after all. What kind of girl could resist a sale?

Naminé couldn't.

"Ugh, where is my size?" Naminé furiously flipped through a rack of dresses, spending just a second on each article in her search.

"I believe the section you're looking for is maternity—" Roxas felt the wind leave his system as an elbow connected with his gut. Xion returned his glare with a warning finger. His comment went unnoticed by the shopping blonde.

"Ah-ha! Found it!" Naminé pulled the hangar from the stand and held it up victoriously. "Xion, did you find the other ones?"

"Yup. Roxas has them." Xion pointed her thumb at Roxas as she looked through a sea of shirts and skirts. She pulled out one of each article of clothing, satisfied with her combo. "Come on, Roxas. Let's go to the fitting rooms."

Roxas grumbled to himself as they walked. He didn't like how Xion and Naminé were getting along; it almost seemed against the rules. And with Xion actually here, he couldn't do anything. He was so powerless that he was carrying the very dresses that Naminé wanted to try on. What had he been reduced to? A slave. If Xion thought she was doing something to improve things between him and Naminé, she was so wrong. Forcing him to come to the mall only fueled his desire to fight back.

"Roxas, give me those." Xion took the clothing out of Roxas's arms and replaced them with Naminé's purse and her own wristlet. "Watch our stuff while we try these on."

"Just take them with you!" Roxas flushed. He didn't want to be seen holding such feminine objects!

"No! Just watch them!" Xion held her hands out to keep Roxas from giving them back. "Wait here. We might need you later." Before Roxas could protest, Xion and Naminé disappeared into the fitting rooms, leaving him to stand awkwardly outside.

Now, Roxas generally considered himself a secure person. He liked to think that opinions of strangers didn't really matter to him, and he was comfortable with his image. What he was not comfortable with was being forced to hold onto a purse and a colorful women's wallet. He looked like a whipped boyfriend.

It wasn't long before he heard Xion calling his name. "Roxas! Roxas, are you there?"

"What do you want now?" he asked, clearly irritated with his best friend.

"Could you fetch us a smaller size of this dress?"

"What—" The piece of clothing was thrown on his head. "—dress?"

"Get it one size smaller." Xion ordered. "And hurry up! I want to hit the food court soon!"

The blond rolled his eyes in frustration. Now he was an errand boy? Xion was really getting on his nerves. Nevertheless, Roxas obeyed, walking over to the same area they were before.

The dress in his hand had the number four on the tag. Roxas got to work on looking for a three.

As he shuffled through the dresses, Roxas grew more and more annoyed with his errand. There were many with size two and size six, but he couldn't find the one he was looking for. The stupid purse he was forced to carry was also getting on his nerves. The damn thing would weigh his arm down and fall to the crook of his elbow, refusing to stay in place. He eventually threw the straps over his shoulder and held it down with his arm.

As Roxas searched, he began to notice the strange looks people were giving him. He particularly noticed a little boy staring at him, mouth agape. His mother came by, saw Roxas, and pulled her child away, whispering something in his ear. Though he returned to the dress rack, Roxas couldn't help but feel a little insecure.

It didn't take long for him to grow frustrated with his search. Ignoring his instinct and male ego, Roxas called over an employee to ask for help. "Excuse me!" he caught the woman's attention. "Hi. I'm looking for a dress, and I'm pretty sure it's in this area," he motioned at the rack with the wristlet he was holding, "I need this in a smaller size. This one's a four."

The woman raised an eyebrow at Roxas as she walked over. "Er, sir… or ma'am…"

"Sir?" Roxas half-asked, unsure over the reason why the woman was confused. Was there a woman behind him?

"Right. Sir, I don't think a smaller size is the right fit for you…" the woman folded her fingers in front of her and made a face like she was in pain. Roxas's eyes widened in realization.

"Oh no! The dress isn't for me!" He quickly pulled the purse from his shoulder and threw the wristlet inside. "I'm getting it for uh… uh… my girlfriend! Yeah, I'm just holding her stuff. She wanted me to find a three."

The employee's eyes widened in embarrassment. "Oh my gosh! I am _so_ sorry sir!" she laughed to herself as she ran over to the rack. "I'm terribly sorry. I just assumed—"

"Uh, it's okay I guess…" Roxas scratched the back of his head. He couldn't tell who was more embarrassed. So that's why the kid was staring: everyone in the store must've mistaken him for a cross-dresser.

Ouch.

"You said that was a four, right? Here, take a size two." The woman exchanged dresses with Roxas. "A three doesn't exist. Dress sizes like these are only even numbers."

"R-Right. Thanks." Roxas skittered away in shame. As soon as he reached the dressing room, he threw the dress over the door.

"What took you so long? I was about to change back and look for you." The dress on the door slipped into the interior of the dressing room.

"You didn't tell me that the next smallest size from a four was a two." Roxas grumbled uncomfortably. "And take your stuff back. I don't want to carry it anymore. This purse is heavy. What do you keep in here?"

"Oh man up already. It's not _that_ heavy." Roxas's eyes narrowed at the sound of Naminé's voice. "I'll be out in a minute anyway."

"Great." He muttered under his breath. "Xion, please tell me you're almost done too! I really have to use the bathroom."

"I've got a few more to try on before I decide on which ones I'm getting. Just go to the bathroom now!"

"I'm not going to walk into the men's bathroom with a freaking _purse!_" Roxas hissed. His eyes darted to the dressing room on his left. Naminé closed the door behind her, an armful of dresses with her.

"Here, I'll be taking that." Naminé took her belongings, and Xion's, from Roxas and smirked. "I didn't take you for the insecure type. Is there something you have to tell us? Perhaps a reason why you're getting so worked up?"

"Shut up…" Roxas looked away, knowing his face had reddened considerably.

* * *

><p>With some much needed alone-time, Naminé discreetly made her way to another area of the women's department.<p>

Along the way, her thoughts returned to her conversations with Xion from the dressing room. Naminé gathered that Xion was trying to befriend her, but the girl mentioned nothing about any involvement with Roxas's strange change of interaction. Sure, he wasn't as angry as he was before— that was a nice plus— but all the anger was turning into annoyance. What was once vicious and scathing was now frustrating and irritating. She wanted to rip her hair out.

Even when being directly asked, Xion had told her that she knew nothing as to why Roxas suddenly found it appropriate to be around her so often. For years, their main mechanism for dealing with each other was just to avoid each other. When that was unavoidable, they would try to ignore each other.

And that never worked.

Nevertheless, Naminé resolved to fight back. If Roxas thought annoying her was the way to drive her away, Naminé was going to prove him wrong and drive _him_ away. She may have avoided Roxas with utmost effort, but she did not twiddle her fingers from a distance.

She knew what made him tick too. Years of aggression meant taking advantage of every opportunity and making use of every bit of knowledge gained in the battles.

Naminé was confident she could play Roxas's game better than he was. She happily walked around the area before sobering at the sight of everything.

Right. This was the lingerie area. Skipping around with a smile was kinky, let alone weird.

The blonde cleared her throat. Xion wasn't lying: the sale here really was store-wide. Naminé got to work, searching through a pile of bras— on clearance! — and occasionally looking up to see if anyone was around. If she were to be honest, Naminé hated shopping for these. Not only did it make her feel self-conscious, but why did they have to put everything out in the open? In her opinion, a 'females only' section for these articles of clothing was a necessity.

After searching for several minutes, Naminé was sure that she would not find what she was looking for. Call her picky, but she wasn't going to walk around with something uncomfortable. She dropped the last piece of undergarment she was contemplating and turned on her heel, off to search and meet up with Xion again.

"I didn't—"

"Holy _shit!_" Naminé cursed loudly as she walked right into Roxas. Her eyes flew to his and she immediately frowned. "What the heck are you doing here?"

He laughed as Naminé brushed past him, not even waiting for an answer. "What a potty mouth! I had to use the bathroom, which coincidentally is always in the women's undergarment section. And as I was saying, I didn't expect you to be the type to look for expensive pieces of clothing that collectively have less than a square inch of fabric."

"I wasn't looking at that stuff." Naminé huffed as she walked faster. Roxas easily kept up with her. _Stupid taller legs…_

"Of course you weren't. You just happened to be eying that G-string—"

"I was not!"

"—before I decided to sneak up on you." Roxas laughed gleefully, dodging Naminé's smack with ease. He followed her around silently, smirking all the while.

He realized that he was actually having fun messing with Naminé. He thought it was a good thing. If it continued like this, then he'd be able to stand her _and_ still be able to win the agreement.

Surely it wasn't because he was actually enjoying her presence. He just liked _making fun_ of her.

They reached a moderately short line to the register, both of them silent and avoiding each other's eyes. A distance sat between the two, maintained by their stubbornness. Nevertheless, when Naminé walked up to pay, Roxas walked behind her.

He watched as the cashier rang up the prices and was surprised to find that Naminé's spending wasn't through the roof. If anything, she was getting what his mother would call a "bargain."

"I'm sorry, hold on…" Naminé stopped the cashier and looked at one of the dresses she bought. "Mind if I run and switch this one with another color? I'll only be a sec."

The cashier— Roxas realized it was the very same woman who mistook him for someone attempting to dress in drag— looked behind the pair and nodded. "Sure. There's no one behind you, so go for it!"

"Thanks!" Naminé looked at Roxas curtly before running off.

"You have a very pretty girlfriend, mister." The woman smiled at Roxas as she removed the hangars from the dresses. Roxas recognized that the dress he was sent out for was the one in Naminé's pile.

Though he wanted to tell her otherwise (and how far she was from the truth), he could only blush and nod. "Th-thanks."

"I'm sure she'll look adorable in this."

"Roxas!" The boy turned around to see his best friend running toward him. He was about to speak up, but Xion didn't give him a chance. She dropped a few articles of clothing in his arms. "There you are! Here, take these. Pay for me, sweetheart? Thanks!" she ran off without explanation, leaving Roxas behind.

He looked to the cashier, who seemed to be glaring at him. He smiled weakly.

"Excuse me, Miss!" Naminé walked briskly to the register, a different dress in hand. "Could you switch this with that one?" Naminé pointed to the dress that Roxas had to fetch. The cashier smiled, her eyes darting to Roxas like she was exacting some sort of poetic justice.

"Of course, sweetie. It'd be my pleasure!" she unceremoniously tossed the replaced dress under the counter. "Do you have a membership card for an additional discount?"

"I don't, sorry."

"That's fine!" the woman chirped. She scanned a card that hung around her neck. "I have one, and an employee discount. I'll give you both!"

"Oh my gosh! Thank you so much!" Naminé gushed excitedly. After paying at a considerable discount, Naminé took her bag with a wide smile. "Thanks so much! I really appreciate it."

"It's nothing! Someone ought to treat you right. You deserve it! Have a nice day."

Naminé raised a brow in confusion, but nodded anyway. "You too!" she looked back at Roxas, eying the clothes in his arms. After meeting his eyes, she walked off silently.

Roxas approached the cashier, feeling extremely awkward. The cashier, though very professional in keeping opinions— falsely believed opinions— to herself, was not as receptive to him. He was tempted to explain that he wasn't a two-timing pimp, but figured that he would dig himself into a deeper hole if he said "I actually don't like the girl you just gave mega discounts to" and chose to remain silent.

After paying, he walked away as quickly as possible, feeling the woman's eyes burning holes in the back of his head.

* * *

><p>"Xion, you made me look like a total cheater in front of the cashier!"<p>

Roxas and Xion were again waiting in line, this time for something in the food court. Naminé had wandered off, saying that she needed to take care of something. She promised to meet up with them while they ate.

"That's not my fault. I wasn't the one who went along with the whole 'you have a pretty girlfriend' act. You dug yourself into that one." Xion laughed at the expense of her best friend. "By the way, we're sharing a sandwich. My treat."

"It better be. You made me spend all my money just now for your stuff."

"Hey, some of that 'stuff' you paid for is for you. And I didn't make you spend anything. You owed me quite a bit for buying you ice cream after work so many times. Sea-salt ice cream isn't free." Xion crossed her arms as she directed her attention to the menu. "Why don't you go find us a table? I'll get the sandwich."

"Whatever." Roxas stalked off.

He lazily strolled around the food court, passing many empty tables before picking one on the outer edge. He pulled out his phone, checking the time. Amazingly, they had already been at the mall for about an hour. His eyes found Xion ordering their food, pointing at the glass for several ingredients. Behind her, Naminé was staring up at the menu.

Roxas watched the girls like a hawk, hoping to analyze the blonde's relationship with his best friend. Something irked him when he saw them laughing together like they had some sort of inside joke. A growing suspicion filled him. What if Xion was telling Naminé things about him so she could use them against him? That'd be counterproductive to Xion's cause, but he couldn't help but think the two were conspiring against him. He wouldn't accept that the two became instant friends. Surely Naminé was smart enough to notice that Xion was up to something.

Then again, maybe she wasn't. Roxas wasn't one to hold a high opinion of the girl.

When he noticed the girls heading toward him, he quickly looked off in a different direction. He didn't want them to see that he was watching them the whole time.

"I haven't had a sub in a while. I've kinda been craving one." Xion joked as she sat on the opposite corner of Roxas. Naminé was forced to sit beside him or in front of him at the four-person table.

_She did that on purpose._ Roxas noted mentally.

"I always get the same sandwich. Kairi likes to make fun of me for it, but I'm not the exploratory type when it comes to food." Naminé removed the wrapper of her sandwich and began eating.

"Funny. Roxas is the same way." Xion looked at her own sandwich, holding a knife over the near-center of it. "It's a foot-long, but it's not your favorite. How much do you want?" She asked Roxas.

"Just cut it down the middle. I'll eat it."

"Ha! Yeah right. How about a tiny little section for you?" Xion smiled at her best friend.

"Just give me half! Besides, why did you ask if you already determined it yourself?"

"To mess with you, obviously!" Xion laughed loudly as Roxas tried to steal her sandwich. She moved it out of his reach with ease. "Ah, I knew sitting farther from you was a good idea. How does a third sound? Four inches."

"At least five." Roxas haggled.

"Five? Five inches?" Naminé spoke up in between bites. She looked at Roxas and smiled mirthfully. "That's a rather… generous measurement."

Roxas felt his face warm as the girls across from him howled in laughter. "Hey—"

"You're right!" Xion wiped a few tears from her eyes as she made a cut through her sandwich. "That _is_ generous. No way in hell is he—"

"Just give me my food already!" Roxas tore the rest of his portion from Xion's sub, ripping the last bit that hadn't been cut. "You guys don't know anything…"

"Oh great. Here comes the alpha male attitude to compensate." Xion and Naminé shared yet another laugh together. Roxas rolled his eyes. Anything he said at this point would be twisted and used against him, so he quieted himself and ate his food. He had to get them back later.

Roxas listened as the two girls conversed, noticing how easily they got along. And it did annoy him; was Naminé just trying to get Xion on her side? If that was the case, then he would have to deal with his best friend too. Some best friend she was…

He finished before both girls and took it upon himself to steal Xion's drink for himself. He was hoping it would annoy her, but she didn't even seem to notice. She was too engrossed in a conversation regarding school and classes. _Who talks about school during the summer?_

"You've been eying my sandwich for the past minute or so. Are you trying to tell me you're still hungry?"

"You gave me a third of your sandwich, and I haven't eaten since noon. What do you think?" Roxas said grumpily. Xion rolled her eyes.

"Here. I'm done with mine." Both Roxas and Xion were surprised to hear Naminé offer her own food. "I've got to… use the bathroom or something. Just take it."

"Aww, look Roxas! It's your favorite!" Xion pushed the remaining sub in Roxas's direction after realizing he wasn't going to get it himself.

"I'm not hungry anymore." Roxas looked away with a frown. He knew he was being childish, but he wasn't going to eat Naminé's _leftovers_.

"Don't be silly. Just eat it. I don't care anymore." Naminé stood up, pulling her purse over her shoulder. "I'm sure you'll be happy to hear there's _six_ inches there."

Roxas glared at Naminé's back as she walked away, ignoring Xion's loud giggles. Why was everyone ripping on him today? The cashier lady, Xion, Naminé… what was it about today that made him the target?

"Well, eat up!" Xion ordered him as she took a bite out of her own food. "I know you want it. It's your favorite sandwich. Sure, there's some extra veggies you don't typically get, but are you really going to pass that up right now?"

"Did you see the way she looked at me? I was like a dog to her. She must think she did something charitable. Here Roxas, you can have the rest of my table scraps." Roxas pouted, but he still ate the sandwich.

Xion giggled, rolling her eyes. "You have an inferiority complex, Roxas. You're coming up with an excuse, an explanation, and a justification for not eating what was just offered to you out of the goodness of her heart. Just eat your sandwich."

Roxas grumbled, but he knew she was right. And since Xion was right, he felt the need to come back with something. "And whose side are you on anyway? Four inches? Oh, that's so _hilarious._"

"Oh my gosh!" Xion pressed a hand to her chest, trying hard not to laugh. "You're actually insulted!"

"Of course I am! You're acting like it's true and joking along with her! Everyone thinks you've seen it and before you know it, everyone will think it's the truth!"

"Well for one, I _have_ seen it, however accidental it was—"

"Yeah, for like a second!"

"— and I admit I didn't get the chance to _study_ it," Xion continued, leaning forward and lowering her voice, "but who cares? We're joking, Roxas."

"Yeah, but that doesn't change the fact that people will believe rumors anyway!"

"You are so insecure! Why is this a big deal?"

"Because I'm _not_ four inches!"

"Well what the hell do you want me to do about it?" Xion raised both her arms and her voice. "Should I announce it to the whole food court? Attention everyone!" Xion stood up and yelled the last bit to the crowd. Roxas immediately reached over the table and held her arm. The crazy bitch was just about to climb onto the table!

"What the hell are you doing?"

"Telling the world that you're not four inches. Isn't that what you want? God forbid two teenage girls joke about your size."

"Xion, just sit down!" Roxas hissed as he sat back down himself. "Fine. Just drop it. Just… next time, don't _agree_ with her. You're my best friend. You can laugh, but really, don't be all 'that's definite generous' and that stuff…"

"Fine. I apologize for damaging your ego." Xion uncrossed her arms and finished her sandwich.

The two friends sat in an awkward silence, something that typically followed an awkward conversation. It was a grudging truce between them, a compromise that neither of them were completely satisfied with. But they were best friends. Best friends don't exactly stay angry at each other for a long time.

Xion cleared her throat after sipping her drink. Roxas, who was in the middle of stuffing the last of his food in his mouth, looked up.

"So… how's the sandwich?"

* * *

><p>Naminé knew she had to be quick. Before they reached the food court, Naminé had excused herself from her enemy and her new friend to check a particular store that most men didn't dare to enter.<p>

In truth, the bras here were more expensive, but they were _so_ much more comfortable. Naminé thought she deserved at least comfort.

She returned to the store after eating, already slightly oriented with the selection. Not only did this give her the privacy from awkward onlookers that the department store lacked, but she could shop without worry of anyone finding her. She could also buy something expensive without Roxas looking over her shoulder.

She knew it shouldn't have bothered her, but Naminé felt extremely self-conscious when she had to spend in front of him. Perhaps it was the words he spoke to her on the first day.

Naminé shook the thoughts away from her. Why think about him now? She could buy these without feeling guilty now.

After trying several on, she was confident with her size choice. The blonde walked around the store, picking out several types and designs. With a few in hand, she turned around to head to the register.

"Oh, you're a B?"

"What the f—" Naminé bit her lip to keep from cursing, glaring at the smirking boy who was standing in her way once again. "What the heck are you doing here?"

Roxas smirked down at her, sidestepping out of her path and falling into step behind her. He was tempted to make a "generous" joke, but she did give him half her sandwich. He chose to spare her. "Xion said to find you since we're leaving in a bit."

"And how exactly did you find me?"

"Well I obviously checked a few stores. But then I remembered how you were eying some of the more interesting pieces of lingerie and figured you'd come here. Who knew I'd be right?"

"Psh. Who knew you'd be such a pervert. But I guess that's typical of guys your age."

"H-Hey, I didn't come in here to look at this stuff! I came in here to look for you!" Roxas blushed deeply as he looked around the store, finally noticing what was around him.

"Right. Because Xion couldn't have done it herself. If you're looking for the stuff that's meant to spice things up, then you'll want to head to the back of the store." Naminé pointed a thumb behind her. _Why isn't he leaving yet? I have to pay for this stuff!_

"I'm not here for the—"

"Excuse me ma'am, could you help my _friend_ here find what he's looking for?"

"It's quite all right." Roxas shook his head and backpedaled away. "I was just leaving." Naminé watched with a satisfied smirk as the boy darted out of the store.

"He's just embarrassed." Naminé explained to the confused employee. She looked down at the undergarments in her hand and fell in line, relieved that she'd be buying them in peace.

She felt great after she left the store. First, she had a feeling she won the battles today. Second, she managed to humiliate Roxas in a lingerie store. And third, she was about to go home and get away from him, hopefully for the remainder of the evening.

Overall, that had to be a good day.

* * *

><p><strong>Redeeming Endeavor: <strong>

Chapter Data- Total editing time: 438 minutes. Word Count: 5,632.

Harmless Author Fact #5: I. Love. Cinnamon. Rolls. Love love love. My real life friends know it. My family knows it. You know it. Everyone knows it. They're just _so good._ Virtual cinnamon rolls go out to anyone who enjoys cinnamon rolls as well.

Huge thanks goes to you, the reader, for taking the time to read this chapter! Those of you who favorited or subscribed, thanks so much.

I'm thankful for those of you who took the time to let me know what you thought as well! I'm sure you know who you are, but** elspoek1, azzDOGG, Lupus7, Ash09, Handwritten, GreyPurpleBlack, Spellbound a.k.a soragirl4ever, Draco Oblivion, BlackButterfly9, KeybladeMaster97, Hegodart, CosplayerMew, 0Wishful-Thoughts0, happy reader, Aaralynne, Serena Scarlet, , typewrite, **and** BruHaeven **deserve to be pointed out! Thanks so much for the feedback!

As always, take care! I'll see you around.


	6. Functional Groups

Chapter 6: Functional Groups

"Wow, I really needed this."

"You and me both, Naminé."

Kairi and Naminé sat at one of the larger tables in the restaurant, waiting for a few more friends to show up. After spending a week and a half in Destiny Islands, the girls thought it'd be a good idea to meet up with their female friends. Talk had been going on and on about how they all needed to hang out, so Kairi made the arrangement for a Girls' Day.

But that wasn't the only reason. After an extremely tense dinner the previous night, Kairi recognized the possibility that either she or Sora might lose a sibling if they continued at the rate they were going.

The redhead looked at her twin, who seemed content with whatever she was doing on her cell phone. Kairi closed her eyes, retreating to her thoughts and memories of what had transpired the night before.

* * *

><p>After Naminé's reassurance, Kairi took her seat at the table between Sora and Selphie, one her closest friends. Selphie, Tidus, and Wakka— a trio that were more Kairi's friends than her sister's— were invited to have dinner at their house. Kairi thought it'd be a good idea to finally start meeting up with her other friends. Nothing against Sora or Riku, but she didn't come to vacation here for the whole summer just for them.<p>

Also at the table were Riku, Xion, Roxas, and Sora. The group sat in the backyard patio. Not only did the weather cool considerably to allow for the pleasant dinner, but it was also the only table that would comfortably seat nine people.

Maybe Kairi should have seen it coming. Naminé was acting rather calm, considering the fact that Roxas had entered the house with his brother and immediately thanked Naminé for "doing her job and cooking" for everyone.

And the tension was rather tangible when she walked through the sliding glass door. The smile on her face was most certainly a façade, and her chipper attitude as she distributed the spaghetti should have been unnerving. It wasn't until Naminé came out with the rest of the food that the tension reached a peak.

After serving everyone, Naminé made one last round on the table and paused near Roxas. "Oh, you forgot your meatballs." Naminé dipped a serving spoon into the bowl in her arms and unceremoniously dumped them on his plate. "Most guys typically have two. I can see why you'd be an exception though."

Roxas glared at Naminé before coming up with a response. He made an obvious glance at Naminé's chest (much to the disgust of everyone at the table) before saying, "Oh. Most girls your age have two as well. So don't be stingy and help yourself."

A wave of "ooh's" quietly murmured around the dinner table. Naminé, however, sat down with a confident smile. She looked at Roxas one last time before digging into her own plate of spaghetti. "I'm sure you'll like the meatballs, Roxas. Not only did I make them myself, but I've heard from many sources that you enjoy the feel of them in your mouth."

* * *

><p>"Oh, they're here!"<p>

Kairi heard her sister's excited words and turned around in her chair. Sure enough, some of their friends had showed up. The sisters stood and hugged their newly-arrived friends, Aqua and Olette. The older of the two, Aqua, wiped imaginary dirt off her baby blue t-shirt before embracing each sister. An excited shrill of greetings went around the quartet.

"It's been so long since I saw you, Naminé! Why didn't you come over spring break with your sister?" Olette released the blonde from a hug and pouted.

"Do I really have to tell you the reason for that?" Naminé rolled her eyes. The brunette giggled, carefully tucking her brown skirt underneath her legs as she sat.

"Oh, don't tell me you and Roxas are still fighting!" Aqua hung her purse on her chair and folded her arms on the table. "You guys are like children."

"Are you kidding me?" The owner of a new voice made everyone at the table look up. Selphie briskly walked to the end of the table, sitting down immediately without a greeting. Nonetheless, the girls smiled at the sight of their familiar friend. "You should have seen the two last night at dinner. It's a good thing you don't need knives to eat spaghetti."

"No way! You invited Selphie to dinner but not us?" Aqua looked at the sisters, feigning hurt.

"Don't give me that. You said you were busy." Kairi said before looking around the table. Five of them had shown up by now, with Xion the only girl missing. The redhead smiled to herself as she noticed the outfit of each girl: Aqua, as usual, came dressed in shorts and a t-shirt; Olette dressed more maturely than last year in an orange blouse and brown skirt to match, and Selphie wore her signature yellow sundress.

_Some people don't change._ Kairi thought with a laugh. The gang was together again.

"What are you laughing about?" Naminé asked her sister suspiciously.

Kairi shook her head. "Nothing really. It's just nice to have everyone together again. No boys either."

"Hey!" Selphie snapped. "There will be no mention of the b-word today! Let's get through a conversation without mentioning anyone with a pee-pee. Are we clear?"

"With you at the table, clearly boys will be mentioned at least seven times throughout this lunch." Xion laughed as Selphie almost jumped out of her seat.

"Don't sneak up on people like that!" Selphie pressed a hand to her heart, eying Xion until she took her seat at the table. It was then that she noticed the rest of the girls giggling to themselves. "And thanks for the warning, ladies. I see how it is."

"We couldn't resist." Aqua shrugged. The oldest of the group looked around, confirming everyone's presence. "I think everyone's here. I guess we can officially say that this meeting has officially begun!"

* * *

><p>Somewhere in a quiet park sat two friends atop a picnic table. The normal sweltering heat of the Island was apparently on break; the weather was beautiful, complimented with a cool breeze and a bright sun. A paper bag filled with greasy goodness sat between the pair, and each would occasionally reach in and take something as they conversed. One word could describe the scene: chill.<p>

"So where's Xion again?"

"I don't know. She said she'll come by after her vagina party is done."

"Her _what_ party?"

Roxas rolled his eyes. "She said she was having a get-together with a bunch of girls today. No boys allowed."

"You don't seem very happy about that."

"Of course not." Roxas swallowed his food before speaking again. "Our best friend is back in town for the first time in, I don't know, half a year? I think she could've rescheduled or something."

"I don't mind. I'm sure I'll see her soon anyway."

"You're too nice to her, Axel." Roxas grumbled, stuffing a handful of fries into his mouth.

Axel's shoulders shook with laughter. "I think you're being a little critical. If I were to be more specific, I think it's because you don't like how she's somehow forced you to spend time with Naminé. How is she, by the way? I remember she was a rather attractive girl."

"I don't want to talk about her. And Axel, that's pedophilic."

"How is that pedophilic?" Axel asked before taking a bite out of his first burger. His eyes closed as he savored the taste of his fast-food. "I'm only five years older. In two years, it'd be perfectly legal for the two of us to date if we wanted."

Roxas's face scrunched in distaste. "Axel, you should probably shut up now."

"Don't be jealous, Roxas. You know I'm not being serious. I'm just trying to prove a point that an age difference isn't weird anymore when you get older. Aren't Xion's parents about six years apart? They weren't weird."

"Yeah, because they're more than twice your current age. I think it's still weird if you're twenty-one and you want to date someone still in high school."

"I think we're arguing over something we agree on." Axel said thoughtfully as he sipped his drink. The two fell silent, their voices falling secondary to enjoying their food. After a short while, Axel spoke up again. "Speaking of Xion's parents, have you seen them? They must be around fifty now. How are they holding up?"

Roxas shook his head. "Xion doesn't want people to see them. She visits them a couple times a week though. I only get updates, and they're never good."

Axel sighed, a somber appearance etched onto his features. "How's she handling it?"

"As well as anyone could handle it, even when they know they're most likely losing their parents within the next five years… not to mention the fact that her father is barely there." Grief swam within the younger boy's eyes.

"Does he remember her?"

"When he's aware, yes."

"Damn." The redhead slowly blew out in a low whistle. "She's strong. I'd have gone insane by now. Has she gotten tests done for herself? I looked some stuff up online about it and her chances aren't that great."

Roxas remained silent. When he had told Axel how Xion cornered him into the proposal involving Naminé, he refrained from mentioning what Xion had told him. He thought it would be best to hear it from Xion herself rather than through him. "I don't know. I think you'll have to ask her yourself."

Before the depressing conversation could continue, the sound of Axel's ringtone blared from his pocket. He pulled out his phone and grimaced at the name. "Tch. Great."

Roxas looked over to glance at the caller ID. "Who's Queen Bitch?"

"Who do you think?" Axel cleared his throat before accepting the call. "Hey baby… what? What's wrong with 'baby'? Fine, fine. '_Ay bitch. How you doin'?_"

Roxas snickered at Axel's voice change. He must've been talking to Larxene.

"Yes, I know… you told me already. I'm with Roxas, so… relax. Larxene… hey, listen to me. Remind Demyx, not me… So we're clear? Good… Love you too, hoe." Axel hung up, a satisfied smile on his face.

"You're still dating that psychopath?" Roxas shook his head in disbelief. He met Larxene more than once, and his only impression was that she was rather… insane.

"It's not like I can avoid her. She's our manager of sorts and she gets us the gigs we need. It's always nice to have a hoe for the road too."

"Mmhmm. I'm guessing I should ignore the three years that you dated her _before_ you and Demyx started performing?" Roxas asked slyly.

Axel ran a hand through his hair with a chuckle. "Roxas, Roxas… one day, when you have a woman that will drive you up the walls, you'll understand. Just take my word for it for now." He crushed the empty paper bag in his hands and pulled out a lighter. The older boy turned to his friend with a smile, "Can I do it?"

"I'd prefer you not attract attention to us. Set fires on your own time." Roxas hopped off the table and stretched. Axel sighed, putting the lighter away and shooting the trash into a nearby trashcan.

"You're no fun anymore." Axel mirrored Roxas's actions and followed after the younger blond. "Hey. Demyx and I are going to be here in town for a while. The grand opening of Club Spades is tomorrow night, and Luxord asked us to start things off for him since he hasn't found an in-house DJ yet."

"You're going to be in charge of the music tomorrow night?" Roxas asked excitedly. "That's great!"

"It would be if our following was a bunch of high school kids." Axel laughed humorlessly. "We're not a big deal yet, Roxas. A total of about… four people will know who we are. You included."

"So why exactly are you telling me this?" Roxas opened the passenger's side door of his friend's red sports car and hopped in.

"You and Xion have a couple friends, right? Get the word out. The more packed, the better." Axel smirked as the engine roared to life. "Club Spades needs to be filled to capacity so Larxene won't complain about it later. She thinks it isn't worth our time."

Roxas laughed, shaking his head in pity. "Your prime motivation seems to be her happiness. That's cute, Axel. Really."

Axel playfully shoved the boy and chuckled. "Happiness? Please. I'm just trying to keep her from yelling my brains out."

* * *

><p>Naminé swore her face was starting to hurt from all the smiling she was doing. She forgot how much she missed everyone at the Islands.<p>

The conversations had been relatively tame since Naminé needed to be updated over the past year's events. Aqua was going off to college after this summer, and apparently Olette was on the brink of assuming the number one spot in her class. Selphie seemed to have all the gossip typed somewhere on her phone, as she'd occasionally look at it and remind someone to tell a certain story.

The current topic left Naminé in pain. Her entire midsection was aching from the laughter, and a few tears even managed to escape as Selphie's storytelling was relentlessly hilarious. The only one who didn't seem to find anything humorous was Olette.

But that was only because the joke was on her.

"No joke," Selphie held her hands out to signal the girls to quiet down a bit. "You tried to play it off, Olette, but did you really expect me to believe the reason why Hayner's shirt was off was to check for _bug bites_? Please. You were totally getting frisky in a hammock!"

"I told you we're not like that!" Olette crossed her arms, her face tinted with scarlet. "And enough with Hayner already. I thought we weren't going to talk about boys."

"Fine. I'll drop it. But don't think this is over, honey. It won't be until you admit it!" Selphie smiled devilishly and took a sip of her water.

"I forgot how funny you girls were." Naminé coughed once, fanning her face in an effort to cool herself. "You crack me up."

"Well we missed you too, Naminé." Aqua piped in with a smile.

"I'd hope so." The blonde took a long gulp of her drink. "So I've been wondering…"

"Yes?"

"If this is our official girls' lunch," Naminé raised both of her hands and pointed to the end of the table. "Why is Riku here?"

Everyone at the table turned to look at the lone boy at the end. Riku looked up, mid-food-steal, and smiled. "Hey, ladies."

All the girls looked at each other before bursting into laughter. "How long have you been here?" Xion asked between gasps.

"This is too weird…" Kairi wiped a tear from her eye.

"Long enough to hear the story about Olette. I never knew you were so… open about your relationship with Hayner." Riku let out a low whistle and shook his head.

"Oh my gosh, we aren't dating!" Olette groaned in frustration.

"That just makes it worse."

"Selphie's a liar." Olette stuck her nose in the air defiantly. "I refuse to say anything else on the matter. Hayner and I are just friends."

"Yeah, friends with benefits…" Selphie muttered loud enough for everyone to hear. She was rewarded with a good laugh from the group.

"Selphie, you act like you haven't done anything weird right now, but as I recall you were hot for teacher all year." Riku pulled the closest plate— which happened to be Xion's— and began eating what was left.

"Okay, fine. Unlike Olette, I'm owning up to this. Not to mention that I'm not afraid to say it!" Selphie stood up, commanding the attention of the table. "I, Selphie Tilmitt, think all our male teachers this past year were _hot_!" A group cheer went about the table, followed by the laughs.

"I think I'm the only one left out of the loop." Naminé leaned forward onto the table, waiting for someone to fill her in.

"Selphie was totally hitting on all our male teachers this past year. She's going through a phase, is all." Aqua waved her hand dismissively.

"It's not a phase, Aqua! I just have a thing for older guys. Our teachers just happen to be good-looking and intelligent."

"I thought we weren't talking about boys?" Kairi looked around the table for support.

"We're not." Selphie said. "We're talking about _men_." While half the girls laughed, another group groaned.

"I remember how you _always_ went to Mr. Leonhart for after-school tutoring… you're so bad…" Olette shook her head in mock-disgust.

"Don't be jealous, Olette. I know you were after that history award, but you can't win everything."

"Apparently." Olette rolled her eyes. "Especially with you chatting up all our teachers like a suck-up."

"She was really that bad?" Naminé whispered to Aqua.

Selphie, who heard Naminé ask, immediately spoke up. "Naminé, you don't understand. I was really that _good_. If you saw our teachers, you'd know why I act like— wait a second; I have them here on my phone!" Riku's manly laughter rang above the groans of the girls. Selphie handed Naminé her phone, displaying a picture of a blond teacher. "That's Mr. Strife there. He would take attendance before every class began, and guess who would intentionally remain silent so he would call my name again in that silky voice of his?" Selphie pointed to herself and mouthed 'me,' causing every girl to laugh at her antics.

"Wow, he's kinda cute." Naminé agreed with a nod.

"You've just got a thing for blondes, Nam." Kairi stuck her tongue out at her sister.

The blonde ignored her sister's comments. "Are these the only two teachers you were after?"

"Whoa, heck no. Have you seen Mr. Villiers? He's a total hottie. I sat in the front row every day and volunteered to do everything. He thought I was a math genius. I was for him." Selphie sighed dreamily. "And oh my gosh. This guy is tall too. So every time he had to use the lower portion of the boards, guess who got a good view of that sexiness? I did!" Selphie sang.

"Yeah, Mr. Villiers definitely had a cute butt…" Aqua nodded in agreement. The whole table turned to look at her. "What? I'm serious. Is there a double standard? Selphie can find teachers attractive but I can't?"

"I just never took you for a girl to like older guys." Xion said slyly. "What, with that whole Ven thing and all." Aqua threw her head back with a groan.

"What Ven thing?" Naminé asked a little too eagerly. She coughed and cleared her throat. The gossip girl in her was starting to come out.

"Ven's in our grade." Olette clarified. "He was practically the class hero— among the boys, at least— for dating Aqua since she's two grades ahead of us. And if my knowledge is still valid, you two are still dating?"

"We're on our way to separating, if you must know." Aqua said with a shrug. "We both knew this was coming, and we were never that serious anyway. I told him before we dated that I wasn't up for the whole long distance relationship thing."

"Aww. You two were so cute together." Selphie stirred her water with a straw, a disappointed look on her face. The table fell quiet, the result of a subject quickly going somber. Riku cleared his throat, hoping to get the conversation out of the rut.

"So… we've talked about the teachers and one of the guys. What does everyone think about the other guys in our little circle of friends?"

"Are you asking if any of us are interested in you?" Kairi raised a brow, smirking at her best friend.

"I don't need to _ask,_ Kairi. I already know you all want a piece of this." Riku flipped his hair dramatically, getting a laugh out of the girls. "Let's start with Hayn— wait, that's Olette's property." Again, all the girls except Olette laughed. The latter merely covered her face in her hands. "How about Roxas?"

"Roxas?" Kairi repeated. "I think we can all agree that he's cute."

"Cute?" Naminé asked doubtfully. "Annoying is more like it."

"No, I agree with Kairi." Olette nodded. "Roxas is cute. He's nice too, once you get to know him. But maybe I'm biased. I'm closer to Roxas than Sora, after all…"

"I think Roxas is actually the better-looking one out of the twins." Selphie opined. "But if I were to compare… Sora's got a trump card on Roxas that makes me lean toward him."

"What does Sora have that Roxas doesn't?" Riku challenged.

"A heart?" Naminé offered quietly. Kairi looked at her sister warningly. Luckily, no one else heard.

"I can't say for sure, since I've never kissed Roxas." Selphie bit her straw. "But Sora? Wow. He's not my type, and I'd definitely tap all our teachers before him, but that boy can _kiss._"

"Hell yeah he can!" Xion slammed her fist on the table with a giggle. "He's such a pro!"

"Now that I can agree with. Best kisser I've ever had." Aqua looked around the table to find everyone staring at her again. "Oh my gosh, it was a dare! Let's keep the cougar jokes to ourselves! Carry on!"

"Anyway," Olette said with a nervous giggle, "not like I have anyone to compare against—"

"Oh please."

"— but Sora unexpectedly swept me off my feet."

"Okay, wait. Wait just a second!" Kairi interrupted everyone. "Has everyone at this table kissed Sora or something? How does everyone know that?"

Naminé's brow furrowed. Was that distress in Kairi's voice?

"I would like to clarify that I haven't kissed a boy… and liked it." The girls laughed at Riku's comment. "Jokes aside, I haven't. But Sora's built up a reputation at our school for being a really good kisser. The guys like to call him a man whore, but Sora can get some if he wanted. He sure gives me a run for my money."

"Most of us have kissed him on account of dares." Xion clarified before Riku stressed Kairi further. "And I've only kissed him once."

"I'd kiss him again if he looked more like Mr. Leonhart…" Selphie murmured.

"So has every girl kissed him here then?" Kairi almost snapped. Naminé recognized the annoyance hidden beneath the smile of disbelief. Was Kairi jealous?

"I haven't… but you probably guessed that." Naminé's hand slowly fell from the air as Kairi stared her down.

"I think so." Selphie narrowed her eyes at Kairi. "Why? You jealous, Kairi?"

The redhead, unfortunately, was too transparent. A blush crept onto her face when the attention was turned on her. "N-No way. Sora can kiss whoever he wants. I don't care."

"You're jealous." Selphie said with finality.

"Am not!"

"Group vote! Raise your hand if you think Kairi is jealous." Selphie looked around the table. "It's unanimous. You're jealous."

"Naminé!" Kairi hissed.

"What?" the blonde slowly dropped her hand with a sheepish smile. "You're making it super obvious, Kai…"

"I think we all just found out Kairi's secret!" Riku instigated the group. "Why would Kairi be jealous, I wonder?"

Before Kairi had the chance to defend herself, one of the phones rang. Xion pulled her phone from her pocket and smirked. "Sorry, girls. I have to take this." Xion dismissed herself from the table, bringing the phone to her ear as she walked away.

Kairi didn't waste the opportunity. "Well, I think we're done here! What do you say we all pay for ourselves and get some ice cream across the street?"

"Ice cream sounds really good about now…" Aqua smiled at the thought.

The girls resumed their conversation, one without Kairi in the spotlight. When the checks came, each of the girls paid their part. Naminé was quick to notice that Xion had yet to return, but then witnessed something that caught her attention. Riku had taken her check and paid for it himself before silently leaving the table.

_What was that_? Naminé thought curiously. Her eyes followed Riku until he left the restaurant, disappearing as abruptly as he came. She left the appropriate amount of cash, tip included, before dismissing herself from the table. Walking outside, she made her way to the side of the restaurant, wondering where Xion and Riku disappeared off to. She stopped and hid around the corner where she saw Xion and Riku talking. Feeling rather nosy, she pressed her back against the wall and listened in.

"That's the second time you tried to avoid a date with me." Riku's voice was far from offended. In fact, it almost sounded like he was humored.

"You've been counting?"

"Of course. It would have been our fifth."

"Sixth, actually." Xion giggled. The two fell silent for a moment. Did they kiss? She immediately regretted hiding around the corner instead of behind a car. "You know, I canceled on my best friends today. You at least got to see me today."

"Does it matter? You left to answer a call from Roxas."

"Jealous, Riku?"

"What if I said I was?" Again, there was a short silence. Naminé was tempted to turn the corner and sneak a peek, but she wasn't daring enough to try. Eavesdropping alone was enough to make her heart pound.

"If you must know, Axel is the one who called me, not Roxas. He and Demyx are emcees and DJs for the grand opening of Club Spades. He wanted me to invite everyone to come since he thinks no one will show up." Naminé heard Xion walking around. Was she approaching?

"Well let's tell the girls then. I'm sure they'll want to go." The walking stopped. Riku must've stopped her.

"Good. So now at least ten people will show up."

"Xion." Naminé held her breath, noticing the drop in volume. "I think I can help with that. You need more people to come? Leave it to me. I'll get everyone going."

"What's the catch? If I have to go as your date, forget it. There's no need for you to ruin your reputation for me."

"Well then how about a date, since you're so adamant on keeping us a secret?"

"There's no _us_, Riku. There's never been an us."

"Well then what do you call the first fives dates we went on?"

Xion giggled, walking closer to Naminé's position. "Charity."

Naminé immediately pushed herself off the wall and took a few steps back. She nonchalantly walked forward as if she had just approached. Xion turned the corner and almost ran into her.

"Sorry!" Naminé apologized profusely. "I was coming out to look for you. All of us paid already and we're getting ice cream across the street. Wanna come?"

"It'd be my pleasure." Xion took Naminé's arm and pulled her to the entrance where the other girls had just appeared. "Hey! Sorry about the phone call. It was a little important."

"Don't worry about it." Kairi reassured. "You coming with us for ice cream?"

"Of course. Riku should be— there he is." Riku came around the side of the restaurant, having just finished something on his phone. When Riku joined the girls, they made their way across the street.

The ice cream shop they entered was small and empty, though the sudden surge in customers made it look like it was a faster day for business. One at a time, the girls ordered their flavors. Naminé settled on her favorite: cookie dough. She had never gone to this particular store, so her favorite was the safest choice. She arrived at the table to hear Xion inviting everyone to the club she was talking about before.

"So do you think you guys can go?" Xion asked hopefully.

"Count us in! You know I'm always looking for a party." Selphie said with a smile.

"I'm with Selphie on this one. Tomorrow night, right?" Aqua asked to make sure.

"Yup! Come at ten and invite all your friends." Xion turned to Naminé. "Are you coming too?"

All eyes fell on Naminé as they waited for her answer. "Um, I don't really think it's for me…"

"Aww, come on Naminé! We'll all be there! It'll be fun! It gives us a reason to get together too." Aqua looked at the blonde pleadingly.

"I know, but I'm just not that kind of person to go out and party…" Naminé rubbed her arm in discomfort.

"You'll be fine, Nam. Just stay close to me." Kairi shrugged.

"Please? Pretty please? It would mean a lot to me if you came, Naminé!" Xion folded her hands in front of her and begged with her eyes.

Naminé wanted to disappear on the spot. She didn't want to say no to all her friends, much less seem like a prude to Xion. But at the same time, she _really_ didn't want to go. With a huge breath, Naminé offered what she could. "W-We'll see, I guess. I'll try."

"Yes!" Xion pumped her fist in the air in delight. "I'll take that!"

* * *

><p>Xion parted from the girls after having ice cream and drove herself to Roxas's house. She was happy to see that Axel's car sat in the driveway. Hopping up onto the porch, Xion first tested the door to see if it was open. It wasn't. She walked over to a nearby flowerpot and stuck two fingers in the dirt; a key was pressed between her fingers when she pulled them out.<p>

She entered the home quietly, hoping to surprise the occupants. Xion quietly walked up the stairs, dodging the two particular steps where the wood would creak and moan. She heard Axel and Roxas in the latter's room, quieter than usual. That meant one thing.

"Who's winning?" Xion hopped into the room as loudly as she could. To her dismay, neither of the boys were startled at all. They were, as she predicted, too engrossed in their game to even spare her a glance. Xion watched quietly, waiting for the match to be over. As health bars decreased, it was Roxas who jumped from the bed and cheered.

"Yes! Oh yeah! What now, Axel? _What?_"

"Oh sure, act like you're a big shot because you beat someone who was playing for the first time." Axel shook his head before tossing the controller away. Only then did he notice Xion. "Oh hey! When did you get here?"

"You didn't see me come in?"

"Can't say I did. Did you notice, Roxas?"

"Nope!" Roxas smiled at Xion, offering her Axel's controller. "Nice of you to finally join us. How was your estrogen seminar?"

"Fun. Riku actually showed up too."

"You've been hanging out with him a lot recently. Why?" Roxas waited for Xion to pick her character before picking his own.

"I can't hang out with other guys?"

"You can. But why Riku?" Roxas's face scrunched is distaste. The round began, and the blond immediately locked his eyes on the screen in concentration.

"I'm sensing some animosity. Are you jealous, Roxas?" Axel didn't get an immediate reply.

"No… I'm just… wondering what Xion sees in him…"

"You make it sound like we're dating." Xion rolled her eyes, but continued the on-screen fight with ease. "We're not. We're just friends. Besides, Riku promised me that he'd get the word out on Axel's night tomorrow. I don't think you'll have a problem filling up the place."

"Because Riku's so popular?" His question didn't come until the short break after he lost the first round, and not without distaste either.

"Thank him for me then!" Axel ignored Roxas's comment. "That'll make Demyx and Larxene feel better too."

"I will." Xion didn't bother to make eye contact with Axel as she spoke. "What did you guys do without me?"

"We ate. Talked. Came here to play a couple games. Roxas told me about that little thing you're making him do with Naminé."

"Yeah, it's been quite entertaining so far. Oh! That's right, Roxas! Eat it!" Xion jeered at her best friend after a crushing defeat. "Sorry, Axel. But yeah, things seem to be improving between the two—"

"Rematch."

"—and it's only a matter of time before they're actual friends." Xion explained.

"That's good." Axel folded his long legs beneath himself. "And we also talked about you. Have you gotten tests done?"

Roxas tensed, but didn't say anything. Xion didn't betray a single emotion and instead explained as straight as possible. "Both of my parents have it. That answers enough. Since that's the case, it'll hit me earlier than it did my parents. I'd say in twenty years, I'll be as bad as my father; he's not really aware anymore. My mom is a lot better off, but she doesn't have much longer either. But really, I'm good for the next ten to fifteen years or so."

"Is there any way to delay it? A cure or something?"

"We've discussed this, Axel. There's no cure. There are ways and medications to delay or suppress the symptoms, but those are only temporary fixes. My father can't live without assistance at this point, and the medications aren't doing much."

"There has to be _something_…"

"There's always hope." Xion shrugged. "Who knows? It's not too late for me. And what's the harm in living life to the fullest? I know my time is shorter than most, so I can fully appreciate every day I get. Ha! Nice one, Roxas. I think that's the first round you won in a while." Axel recognized the change of subject as Xion's signal to stop talking. It wasn't a discrete order, but rather a way of reading her. Xion wasn't very receptive to Axel's questions either, so she probably didn't want to talk about it.

But he didn't blame her. She wasn't here to talk about her disease with him. She was here to hang out and enjoy his company.

"Hey guys!" Sora appeared at the doorway, car keys in hand. "What's going on in here?"

"Nothing much. Just crushing Roxas at his own game." Xion answered with a shrug.

"This freaking bitch…"

"What was that, Roxas?" Xion smiled sweetly at her best friend.

"This freaking… itch. It's right on my finger. I can't play with my full attention…" Roxas muttered as he lost yet another match.

"That's what I thought." Xion then turned to Sora again. "Where have you been?"

"Here at home. But I'm going to Kairi's right now, so…" Sora looked back and forth between Xion and Roxas.

"Go ahead. We're hanging out with Axel tonight." Xion waved. "Axel, you up for a match against me?"

"I'm in the mood to bruise my ego, so why not?" Roxas handed the older boy the controller. "You got your butt kicked, Roxas…"

"Let's see you do better."

"Well then!" Sora merely waved at everyone and left. "I'll see you guys later then!"

"Bye, Sora!" Xion called out into the hallway. "I hope you're ready to die, Axel."

"I was born ready, little girl."

* * *

><p>Sora was looking forward to seeing Kairi all day. He was so disheartened when he heard that Kairi was going to be unavailable until that evening, but the time finally came.<p>

To his surprise, Kairi didn't seem too excited to see him.

Sora found himself staring awkwardly at the walls of his best friend's room. Kairi had unexcitedly greeted him at the door before walking to her room and hopping on her laptop. And every time Sora attempted to have a conversation with Kairi, she replied curtly.

"How was your get-together with the girls today?"

"Good."

"Did you have fun with all of them?"

"Yup."

"… When are you meeting up with them again?"

"I don't know."

Sora raised a brow at Kairi, but she didn't even spare him a glance.

He definitely did something to make her angry.

"Okay, Kairi. What's up?"

"Nothing. Just surfing the internet."

"Kairi." Sora walked over to the bed and pressed his palm against the lid of her laptop, closing it slowly. "What's bothering you?"

"How many girls have you kissed, Sora?"

The confused boy blinked twice, his mouth opening and closing like a fish out of water. "Um, what?"

"How many girls have you kissed?" Kairi repeated slowly.

A crimson tint appeared on Sora's cheeks. "What brought this up?"

"Answer the question."

"I…" Sora looked around the room, avoiding Kairi's eyes. "I don't know. I honestly don't remember, and I don't keep count." When he heard nothing, Sora slowly looked up to see Kairi glaring at him.

"Sora!" Kairi almost yelled. She crossed her arms and turned her back on him. "Sora, you're such a… a… Sora, you're such a freaking skank!"

Sora was even more confused than he was before. "Wait, what? Did you just call me a skank?"

"I did! And I'll do it again too! You're also a womanizer, a man whore, a gigolo, a… a…" Kairi paced her room furiously, her eyes shooting accusing glares at the boy sitting on her bed.

"Kairi, I don't know what brought this on, but… what did I do?" Sora stood and backed up slowly.

"What did you do? You only made out with every single girl in our group of friends! Not to mention a multitude of other girls! After all, how can everyone know you're a good kisser if you haven't been getting around?"

Despite Kairi's outburst and his own confusion, Sora couldn't deny that he was surprised to hear what girls thought of him. "Everyone thinks I'm a good kisser?"

Kairi deadpanned. "You are unbelievable. Go home. Come back tomorrow or something."

Sora quickly tried to save himself. "Wait, fine! Why are you angry at me? So I kissed a few girls—"

"A _few_?"

"Fine, I kissed a lot of different girls, but why are you getting mad at me for it?" Sora was exasperated.

"Because—" Kairi was left gaping, opening and closing her mouth without a sound. She couldn't exactly state her reason. And to Sora's credit, he didn't really know how she felt. Nevertheless, Kairi was stubborn. She wasn't about to admit defeat, so she was going to come up with plausible reasons. "Because you didn't tell me! Because I'm worried about you, and… and because you don't seem to think kisses mean anything!"

"Well that's not true!"

"You don't seem to express that with your actions! How would you like it if I went around and kissed a bunch of guys?" Kairi blinked. Now here was a way to tell him how she felt without actually saying so! "What would you think, Sora, if I did all that and didn't tell you?"

Sora shifted uncomfortably and sat on the bed again. "I don't know if I'd want to hear about all that stuff…"

"So you'd be okay with it if I went around and did that and just didn't tell you?" Kairi crossed her arms.

"Of course I wouldn't! I'd be worried about you! I'd think you were having some sort of problem and you weren't telling me!"

"Well now you know how I feel!" _Not really_, Kairi thought.

"That's different though! You know there's nothing wrong with me. If you don't already know, most of the girls I kissed were on dares! Those kisses don't mean anything." Sora tried to explain.

"So kisses are meaningless to you now?"

"No, Kairi." Sora stood up and ran over, grabbing Kairi's wrist before she could walk away from the room. "The kisses I shared with those girls are meaningless. And I'm glad that everyone thinks I'm such a great kisser—"

"Let's not talk about this anymore." Kairi tried to pull away, but Sora pulled Kairi into his arms and held her in place.

"But they don't mean anything to me." Sora rested his chin on Kairi's head, only just realizing the difference in their height. Kairi stood still, her arms hanging at her sides. "I'm sorry that hearing about my… kissing adventures bothers you, but if it makes you feel better, I'll stop doing that stuff. The guys will just have to find other ways to tease me when I lose a bet."

"Am I being stupid?" Kairi's voice was barely above a whisper as she remained motionless in Sora's arms.

"A little." He laughed when he felt Kairi trying to move away. "But I don't blame you. I don't exactly approve of you going around and kissing a bunch of boys, even if they are dares. I can't be hypocritical. Besides, you have a point. Kisses should mean something."

"They do mean something."

"They do." Sora agreed. "Though I think that's true only if they're shared between people who truly care for each other and truly want to kiss each other… I think kisses are a lot better when feelings are involved."

Kairi slowly extracted herself from Sora's embrace and stared at him. "I thought you just said that all those kisses were meaningless?"

"They are."

"So how could you have an opinion on something you've never experienced? How do you know kisses are better when feelings are involved?"

"Because I've had a kiss like that before." Sora grinned mysteriously. Kairi didn't break her stare. _Does he actually_—

A bloodcurdling scream shocked the two out of their staring contest. On the other side of the house, Naminé was shrieking like a banshee. Sora and Kairi immediately ran over to see Naminé whimpering in the hallway.

"Naminé, what's wrong?" Sora asked as he and Kairi ran over.

"There's a freaking c-cockroach in my studio! I swear it was chasing me!" Naminé furiously scratched her head. The nervous blonde released a small squeak when Sora slowly opened the door to the room. "Careful, S-Sora!"

"Naminé, it's not going to kill him…" Kairi muttered, trying to comfort her sister. Naminé was never one to handle bugs with poise and composure.

"Kairi, you wouldn't say that if you saw how huge it was!" the blond twin shuddered. "The antennae were so long and it was as big as my palm and—"

"Okay, okay, I get it…"

"Whoa!" Sora gasped out before the bug darted past him.

The two girls screamed in terror as the large cockroach skittered around the floor, moving extremely quickly. A large shoe immediately slammed onto it; a sickening crunch accompanied the panicked shrieks of the girls.

"What the hell, Sora? Why did you let it out?" Kairi asked angrily. Here she was, trying to be the brave sister, only to react the same way as Naminé. Bravado went out the window when the damn cockroach rushed at her.

"I didn't _let_ it out— oops!" Sora kept his shoe over the cockroach, seeing something that the girls wouldn't react well to. "Kairi, could you run to the kitchen and get me a few paper towels?"

"Yeah." Kairi gingerly stepped around the spot and ran into the kitchen, returning shortly after. "Here."

"Thanks. You two might want to turn around." Sora forewarned. He lifted his shoe and wiped the roach— guts and all— off the hardwood floor. After, he wiped the remains from the bottom of his shoe. "There. All done."

Naminé sighed with relief. "Why me?" she asked miserably.

"Because you were the one who insisted on locking that room off! That room hasn't been cleaned since I came here for break."

"I don't want to go in there anymore…" Naminé closed the door to the extra room and, for added measure, blocked the crack under the door with a towel she took out from the nearby laundry room. "Not 'til I clean it, at least…"

"Good call…" Kairi mumbled. Naminé retreated into her room, taking deep breaths in order to calm herself.

Sora looked at Kairi and smiled. The redhead shrugged, sighing in relief. "Guess that's done and over with…"

"Guess so…" Sora walked into the bathroom and flushed the roach remains down the toilet. He washed his hands thoroughly before leaving. "Hey Kairi…"

"Yes?"

"I don't know if anyone told you, but a bunch of us are going to the opening night of a new teen nightclub…"

"Club Spades, right?" Kairi led Sora into the living room and the two dropped into adjacent places on the sofa. "Xion told us today when we were with the girls. Why do you ask?"

"Well, I was sort of wondering if maybe… only if you wanted to, really, because you don't have to… and if you don't, that's fine too, because after what we talked about earlier I don't expect you to say yes. I don't blame you either, since I did a bunch of stuff and that clearly agitated you, but…"

"Sora."

"Would you like to be my date for tomorrow?" Per Kairi's unsaid request, Sora said what he had to. Kairi smiled in return, her heart skipping a beat.

She threw her arms around his neck with a giggle. "I'd love that."

* * *

><p><strong>Redeeming Endeavor:<strong>

I'd like to thank all of you who subscribe or favorite either LPA or myself! And I apparently have been missing this one, but HUGE THANKS to those of you who recommend any of my stories to your friends! Knowing that I give people something to share and talk about really makes me smile.

And who could forget those of you who take the time to talk with me? My gratitude goes out to **Gear001, BlackButterfly9, Ash09, CosplayerMew, elspoek1, Draco Oblivion, typewrite, Hegodart, , VIII, PenguinObsessed, SingerOfTheNight, BruHaeven, Stonekipsta, sora93kairi, Chibiness-O-Yeahh, Zoe the Hunter, GoldPhantom and z-eion, Aaralynne, Claymore Person, 0Wishful-Thoughts0, Spellbound a.k.a soragirl4ever, roxasXnamine-ftw, noheartx, Shire Folk, Allied Forces, Dramamamapwnsall, **and** PEANUT v1.2** for your encouraging, inspiring, and kind words.

Chapter Data- Total Editing Time: 525 minutes. Word Count: 7,494. Five Chapter Checkpoint- 62 favorites, 61 alerts, 107 reviews. True Word Count: 25,399. Total Writing Time: 2,730 minutes (45.5 hours).

Harmless Author Fact #6: My favorite ice cream flavor is cookies and cream. DELICIOUS. Am I right or am I right?

Take care, and I'll see you around!


	7. Spontaneous Combustion

Chapter 7: Spontaneous Combustion

Roxas roughly ran his towel through his wet hair, attempting to dry it as fast as possible. Xion had called maybe ten or fifteen minutes ago, announcing that she'd be arriving at his house soon. The blond, of course, spent his free and Naminé-less day lying around and watching episode after episode of Power Rangers. Needless to say, he was very surprised to hear that the time to get ready for Club Spades came so soon.

Collecting his clothes, Roxas exited the steamy bathroom, leaving the door open behind him. He passed Sora's room on the way back to his own and paused for a double-take. A smile made its way onto his face at the sight of his brother preparing himself in the mirror. The brunet was repeatedly running his hands through his spikes as if hoping they'd spike _more._

"What are you doing?" Roxas asked bluntly. Sora whipped around in surprise to face his brother.

"I'm fixing my hair!" Sora shrugged. "Kai— I mean, I learned that instead of trying to fight my hair and getting it to stay down, I'd let it be. It's part of my identity, so no more spike-squishing for me. No sir. From this day forth, I will not fight them. I will _embrace _them. Embrace the spikes!" By the end of his monologue, Sora seemed to be lecturing himself. Roxas shook his head in amusement. "What's with that, Roxas? I suggest you do the same!"

"Let me guess." Roxas leaned against the doorframe, pushing his hip against it to keep his towel from slipping. "Kairi said she liked your hair."

"So what if she did?"

"That's all I needed to hear." Roxas smirked. He looked Sora up and down, noting how perfect his clothes were. His black dress pants were creased neatly, and his brilliantly red dress shirt was ironed thoroughly— not a wrinkle in sight. "So is Kairi wearing red tonight?"

Sora returned his attention to the mirror, but nodded slowly. "Yes…"

"So are you two dating now or something?" Roxas asked outright. No need to beat around the bush with his brother, right?

"W-What? Of course not!" The color of Sora's cheeks would have looked rosy had it not been for his choice of wear. "We're just friends. You know that."

"Okay." Roxas pushed off the wall, but before leaving, he spoke a few more words. "I just figured something happened between you two, considering she's your date tonight."

"How did you—"

Roxas walked to his room with a laugh, closing the door behind him. He never had to ask complete questions to Sora. He found it easy to extract the information through a series of questions, a task particularly difficult for other people. Sora, though, revealed a lot with his reactions. With a cocky smile on his face, Roxas closed the door behind him and walked to his drawers.

"I told you to start getting ready at nine."

Roxas's body jumped in shock at the sound of another's voice in his room. His eyes narrowed as a giggle escaped his best friend's lips.

"Thanks for the warning." He mumbled as he pulled a pair of boxers out. "Turn around. Or close your eyes. Whatever."

Xion did both, spinning around on Roxas's computer chair to face the wall. "I don't see why you didn't notice me sitting here. Too busy patting yourself on your back, I assume." She turned around seconds later, watching Roxas flip through clothes in his closet. "Oh. Allow me." With a sigh, she stood up and walked over to him. She immediately pulled out black dress pants and a white, long-sleeved shirt. After throwing the outfit into his arms, she pulled a black tie from the recesses of his closet and turned to him with a smile.

"You know my closet more than I do. That's slightly unsettling." Roxas smiled up at her as he slipped the pants on.

"I helped you fill it and arranged it using my system. I'm amazed you haven't picked up on it yet. It's basically color coordinated by type of clothing…"

"That's more complicated than you think." Roxas joked. "I'll need a belt." He muttered as he tucked his shirt in.

"This will suffice." Roxas noticed the belt in Xion's hand when he looked up.

"Thanks." He walked around his room as he dressed himself, something that Xion used to comment on since it was an unusual habit. "You look taller."

"I'm wearing heels, Roxas." She walked over to him, fixing his collar. "I'm almost taller than you in these!"

"Correction: you're almost _as tall as_ me in those heels." Roxas yelped when Xion pinched his arm. "Ow! We can't all be tall!"

"Well now that I'm temporarily tall, I'm going to enjoy it. You're not about to undermine it with your snarky comments."

"Snarky? Who uses words like that?"

"Just roll up your sleeves." Xion rolled her eyes before walking back to the dresser.

Roxas laughed, but listened to the order. He quickly learned that Xion knew what she was talking about when it had to do with dressing him up. She seemed to know what looked good on her too. As he slipped on his dress socks, he took the time to observe her. The all-black strapless dress she chose to wear was fitted to her form and ended well above her knees. It was simple, yet elegant. Golden bracelets— where and when did she get those? — jingled on her wrist as she made fixes to her hair. He also noted the black heels she matched with her outfit; they looked rather painful. Was being tall really worth it?

"My feet are killing me already." Xion whined as she sat on his bed. "The night hasn't even begun and I'm ready to take these off."

"Well why don't you?" Xion looked at Roxas like he was crazy. "What? Don't wear heels if you're going to complain about it all night."

"But I look cute in them!"

"So?" Roxas grunted as he put on his own shoes. They were most likely more comfortable than hers.

"I look good in this, Roxas. I'm going to wear them."

"Stand up." She obeyed, a questioning look on her face. "Yeah, the whole ensemble looks great on you. But uh… you have no butt whatsoever." Roxas laughed, ducking under the smack that was aimed at his face.

"Oh shut up! Why do you have to follow up a compliment with that?"

"I'm just saying!"

"Well I can't help it. I'm skinny and I can't gain weight."

"I think that's the reason why so many people didn't like you at school. You being that one girl who said she wanted to _gain_ weight." Roxas joked.

"I don't want to gain that much! Just enough to get curves, you know?"

Roxas flicked his hand in the air and said with an accent, "Oh girl, I know _exactly_ what you mean."

"I hate you." Xion gave Roxas a light shove before sitting on his bed again. "Thankfully, I'll have Zexion around to entertain me. He'll understand my plight."

"He is the _last_ person who would." Roxas said with a laugh. He stood up, dressed to the shoelace, and walked to the mirror to observe himself. "Am I done?"

"Fix your tie." In a moment, Xion was standing behind him, doing it for him. "It's too loose. Bring it up a little more."

"You're choking me!"

"No, I _will_ choke you if you don't listen." The hands Roxas's brought up to prevent Xion from touching his tie dropped to his sides. Xion adjusted the tie so that it rested in the perfect position without restricting any airways. "See? That looks so much better. There are only a few occasions were loose ties don't look sleazy. Unfortunately, this is one of the cases where they do. So dress properly."

"Yes ma'am."

"Let's do your hair." Xion opened a canister of Roxas's hair product and ran it through his hair in multiple directions. "You should take your brother's advice, you know. _Embrace_ your spikes!"

Roxas closed his eyes as he let Xion do her work. "You heard all of that?"

"Yeah. Personally, I think Kairi's right."

Roxas smiled. "You got that much out of that too?"

"Oh please. Sora's an open book. To us, at least." Xion walked around Roxas and stood in front of him, wedging his hair in place. "I wonder how your hair naturally sticks up when it's so soft…"

"I think whatever you're putting in my hair helps."

"Hey Rox— oh. Am I interrupting something?" Sora froze as he watched the weird scene before him. All he saw was Roxas standing in front of his mirror with his eyes closed and Xion running her hands through his hair. He also noted the two seemed to match. Maybe Xion was his date.

Roxas opened one of his eyes to find his brother standing just inside his room. "No. What's up?"

Sora blinked. "Oh. I was just about to say that I'm going to head over to Kairi's right now. I was wondering if you guys were ready."

"Go ahead." Xion told him without turning around. She kept her focus on styling Roxas's hair. "I'll drop Roxas off there after I'm done with him, and then you two can bring the girls over to Club Spades."

"Wait, why aren't you coming with us?" Roxas opened his other eye and stared directly at his best friend.

"Secret." Xion shrugged. Finished and satisfied with her friend's hair, Xion walked out of Roxas's room, speaking to Sora as she passed. "I'll see you there!"

"Yeah. Don't take too long, guys!" Sora quickly ran off, eager to maximize his time with his own best friend.

Roxas was rooted in place until Xion returned from the bathroom, her hands now clean. She raised a brow in question at Roxas's strange look. "What?"

"Why aren't you coming with us?" he repeated his earlier question.

"I told you. That's a secret. Now look yourself over and tell me what you think." Xion sat on his computer chair and sighed in relief from taking the weight off her feet.

"My hair is fine and I'm obviously a sexy beast. Now tell me where you're going."

"You need to accessorize." Xion countermanded. "Here," she walked over to him again, pulling out a checkered leather bracelet. "Wear this. Not only does it match your outfit, but it gives that extra flair that you need."

"And here I thought it was just because you got it for me." Roxas smirked.

"That too. But you gotta admit, you like it." Xion took a step back, her eyes widening. "Speaking of what I got for you…"

"Hmm?"

Xion returned with her black wristlet in her hand and extracted something from it. "I visited Luxord with Axel to see the club today— it looked weird being lit up and all— and they told me to give you this." It was a pass, equally as big and sturdy as a standard credit card. Instead of numbers, though, the card was decorated simply on both sides. On the face was 'Club Spades' in a unique font; on the back, a single club was followed by three spades.

"Ha. Clever." Roxas took his pass with a smile. "I guess I'm thirteen?"

"I'm fourteen." Xion flashed her own card, which was similar to Roxas's save for an extra spade. "And here. This is your pass to the Diamondheart Suite." Xion took out two cards and handed one to Roxas. It was the same kind of card as the previous one, but this time it was made to mirror a playing card from the standard deck.

Roxas noted his was the King of Hearts.

"Luxord sure has a thing for gambling." Roxas muttered. "And why is everything themed? Was this all his idea?"

"I think it's pretty neat." Xion defended the club owner. "I got the Red Joker. King of Hearts seems to be much cooler."

"Want to trade?"

"Heck no. Luxord told me to keep this one." Xion tucked her cards back inside her wristlet. "The second one will give you access to the VIP lounge. Luxord assumed that we would want to visit Axel and Demyx in the DJ's box, so he gave us that privilege for tonight. Don't lose either of those cards."

Roxas tucked both of his club passes into his pocket. "I won't."

The two fell silent as they made minor adjustments, sharing the mirror and occasionally cracking jokes. Roxas walked about his room as Xion fixed her makeup, picking up clothes around his room. He stopped when he noticed Xion staring at him through the mirror.

"We should leave soon." Xion said, answering Roxas's unasked question. "But I feel like you're incomplete. What am I forgetting?"

"I put on everything you told me to." Roxas shrugged.

Xion bit her thumb and stared hard. "What is it that I'm… oh!" Without an explanation, Xion threw the closet doors open and began her search. It didn't take long; soon she was holding a hanger with a black vest. "This. Put this on."

Roxas obeyed, slipping his arms into it. He shrugged the rest of it on and buttoned the vest up. He looked at himself in the mirror and smiled at his best friend. "A vest?"

"A vest." Xion nodded in approval. "You look perfect."

"When do I not?" Roxas smiled through the pain in his arm, courtesy of Xion's punch.

"Glad to see you so confident. Now come on. We have to meet up with that brother of yours."

* * *

><p>"How does this look?"<p>

"How do _you_ look, you mean? Great, Kairi. Now stop worrying."

Naminé sighed as she brushed through her sister's hair, slightly annoyed with how meticulous Kairi was getting with her appearance. In her opinion, Kairi looked great; gorgeous, even. But her poor twin was so convinced that she didn't look good enough and cycled through about six dresses before settling on her current red one. Naminé recognized it as the same dress from this past school year's Homecoming dance. It hugged Kairi in all the right places and ruffled near the bottom, giving off the appearance of a skirt. The dress was strapless, and Kairi was delighted to find out that it was fitted around her bust more snugly.

"Is my hair alright?" Kairi asked worriedly.

"Okay, enough." Naminé placed the brush down and pulled Kairi's computer chair closer to the vanity Kairi was sitting at. "Why so hung up on appearance? Is it because you're going with Sora?"

"That does have something to do with it…"

"And you know that Sora will approve of your appearance even if you wore ripped jeans and a baggy t-shirt?"

"See, everyone keeps saying that, but I still want to look good!" Kairi pouted in the mirror.

"Well then I'll just ask the question: do you like him?"

"Of course I like him! He's my best friend. What kind of question was that?"

"I meant romantically."

At this, Kairi blushed. She had never actually said it out loud before. Kairi was quite sure she felt something for Sora, but physically saying it to another human being seemed to be another thing entirely. But this was Naminé, her sister. She could _always_ confide in her. "I… I mean, maybe. I don't know. I'm just…"

"Kairi, just tell me. Do you like Sora?" Naminé waited for her sister's reply, but it didn't come. Her sister seemed to withdraw whenever Naminé wanted to bring it up.

And boy did she want to bring it up. Though Naminé spent the whole day painting outside— no way in _hell_ was she going back into her studio for now— she still noticed the way Kairi walked back and forth between their rooms as she searched for a dress. It wasn't until dinner did Naminé confront the antsy nature of her sister's actions. She knew it had to do with Sora— Kairi only seemed to go into crazy mode hours after she physically said the words 'Sora is my date tonight'— but she couldn't be completely sure without hearing it.

And here, Kairi was avoiding the topic again. "Kairi? You there?"

"I've been feeling weird around him since spring break." Kairi confessed without making eye contact. "Remember the party I told you about?"

"The one where you got drunk and woke up on Selphie's living room floor?" Naminé recollected, a hint of judgment in her voice.

"Yeah. That one." Kairi continued quickly. "I didn't tell you everything. Well, I did, but not _everything_ everything. I kind of did something stupid, and I'm pretty sure nobody saw us, so I didn't think I had to mention it since nobody knew but me…"

"Kairi, what are you talking about? Who saw who, and what did you do?"

"I kind of sort of maybe possibly made out with Sora." Kairi nearly whispered.

The room was filled with a stifling silence before shattering like glass a few seconds later.

"What?" Naminé shrieked and shot from her chair. "You made out with our childhood friend and thought that you didn't have to tell me?"

"We were both drunk and nobody saw! And Sora doesn't remember— at least, I don't think he does— that we did anything that night. It's not a big deal, really!"

"Not a big deal? Kairi, no wonder why you're so confused! I don't know why you didn't tell me this!"

"I didn't tell you because I knew you would judge me like you are right now!" Kairi retorted angrily. "What part of drunk don't you get? I wouldn't have done that if I was all there!"

Naminé fell silent, realizing her sister was right. She was definitely passing judgment. People make mistakes. Some are more stupid than others, like Kairi's typically are, but it happened. And Kairi, in her pitifully confusing state, did not need someone to slap her hands and yell at her.

Naminé sat right next to Kairi on the vanity bench, staring at her folded hands in her lap. She mumbled a quiet apology, to which Kairi forgave rather quickly. They sat there silently, awkwardly even, with nothing to say. After what seemed like an eternity, Naminé cast a sidelong glance at her sister and asked in a low voice, "So is he as good as everyone says he is?"

"Naminé!" Kairi's face reddened faster than ever before, making Naminé laugh and retreat a few steps for safety.

"I'm just curious!"

"Well it's none of your business! And I don't remember anyway!" Kairi crossed her arms and looked away, trying to calm herself with slow breathing. In a matter of seconds, she found herself giggling, and suddenly she was laughing loudly with her sister. She shook her head, finally able to meet her sister's eyes. She knew Naminé did that just to break the tension between them. "I'm sorry for snapping at you."

"I'm sorry for judging." Naminé took her seat behind Kairi and smiled. "I just… I thought you told me everything. I guess I was just shocked that you didn't tell me such a vital piece of information. You know that gossiping is a guilty pleasure of mine."

"I didn't tell you because I didn't think it meant anything." Kairi had a defeated look in her eye. "But ever since coming back here, I can't stop thinking about him. And I really was flattered when he asked me to be his date tonight. I just… I don't know. He's been my best friend for so long. And, hypothetically, if we were to start dating, then poor Riku would be the third wheel."

Naminé didn't know what to say to Kairi, or how to handle this situation. She couldn't imagine what Kairi was going through. So she went with whatever came to her mind first. "Well first off, I doubt Riku would care if the two of you dated. And second… I'd rather you date Sora than some other guy…"

"Really?"

"Yeah. I don't need to remind you about those two losers you actually dated—"

"Please don't."

"— and how I didn't approve of them one bit, but Sora… I think it'd be okay if you dated Sora. I mean, if you're going to date someone, date someone I know and trust."

"Well then I'll just come out and say it. I think I like Sora." Kairi's eyes widened as soon as the words left her mouth. "Wait—"

"You like Sora!" Naminé giggled and ran away to put some distance between herself and her twin. "You said it and there's no takesies-backsies!"

"I can definitely take that back!"

"Too bad, I called it!"

"But I'm not even sure if I actually like him!" Kairi groaned, dramatically throwing her hands up to cover her face. "I might have said that solely because you said you approve."

Naminé's smile faltered slightly— apparently Kairi found it difficult to talk about boys with her— but she didn't let it bother her. This was, after all, a step in the right direction. "Well I think you actually like him. To prove that, let me ask you a series of questions."

"I actually have to get ready." Kairi said quickly as she tried to continue with her make up. Naminé immediately approached her and grabbed her arm, stopping her twin.

"Let's say Sora wasn't your date tonight and instead he was going with someone else. How would you feel about that?" Naminé slowly fell onto the bench next to Kairi, staring at her through the mirror. "And let's say you saw these two kissing since, as you know, Sora's kisses have some notoriety attached to them…" she observed Kairi closely as she spoke, "and let's say he's dancing with this girl, and their hands are all over each other, and—"

"Well, Naminé," Kairi interrupted, "now that you've convinced me that I'm going to be a cold-hearted murderer in the future, I would like to return to my make up."

"See? You're jealous!"

"How does the desire to kill equate to liking Sora?"

"Because the fact that you want to murder the girl is an indirect statement that you like Sora and want him for yourself— that, or you're actually a psychopath who thinks she owns another human being." Naminé shrugged with a smile.

"This whole thing turned grim and morbid a little too quickly."

"Sounds like teenage love to me."

The sound of the doorbell reached Kairi's room, and both girls immediately looked down the hallway that led to the living room. Kairi turned to her sister with pleading eyes. "Think you can get that?"

"Yup! You look like you need time to mentally prepare yourself anyway."

"Oh shut up."

Naminé jogged to the door with a giggle, delighted to see Sora standing outside through the glass. She quickly opened the door to let him in.

"Hey Naminé!" Sora greeted cheerily, pulling the blonde into a surprising hug.

"Hey there! Someone's a little excited, it seems!" Naminé laughed as she separated from the boy.

"Did Kairi tell you?" Sora asked with a smile.

"Yeah. Between you and me, she was ecstatic and giddy and all over the place as soon as you left last night."

Sora's eyes shined in happiness. "Really?"

Not really. As Naminé recalled, Kairi walked into her room like a zombie, told Naminé the news, and left soon after in her dazed state. Both reactions were good, but one was more exciting than the other. Sora didn't need to know that Naminé twisted her tale. "Oh, definitely. I've never seen the girl so excited for something in her life."

Sora was beaming. But just before Naminé started to feel a shred of guilt for adding her own details to the excited Kairi account, Sora frowned. "Hey, why aren't you dressed yet? We're leaving in a couple minutes. Aren't you coming?"

Naminé shook her head. "No, I don't think so. I spent the whole day painting and drawing outside today, so I'm pretty exhausted. You guys can have fun for me though! I don't mind."

"Naminé, you have to come!" Sora whined. "Come on. You're here for the summer, so you might as well enjoy it!"

"I don't really enjoy noisy crowded places, to be honest." She shrugged sheepishly. "Clubs really aren't my scene. I'm perfectly content staying in with a book or a movie. And maybe a bowl of ice cream."

Sora grinned, but didn't hide his disappointment. "You sound just like Roxas every time I try to make him go with me anywhere."

"Sora?"

Naminé turned around to see her sister step out of her room, a light blush gracing her cheeks when she saw her crush. Naminé discreetly stole a glance at Sora, who seemed unable to tear his eyes from Kairi.

"K-Kairi… hey," he chuckled, snapping out of his trance. "You look gorgeous."

Naminé wanted to gush, but bit her lip instead. Resisting the urge to make a comment was probably the hardest thing she had to do today.

"Thanks…" Kairi looked away, obviously flattered by the compliment. "Can I talk to you in my room, Naminé? I need help with something."

"Of course. I'll be right there." When Kairi walked into her room, Naminé turned to Sora, giving him two thumbs up. "That was smooth!"

"What was?" Sora was clueless.

"Nothing, nothing." Naminé took a good look at Sora before bringing her hands to Sora's shirt. "Here."

"Hey—"

"You look cute, but this gives you a sexier edge." Naminé explained as she unbuttoned his shirt, revealing the crown necklace that hung around his neck. "See? And now she'll see the pendant she got you."

"Oh. Thanks!" Sora was dumbfounded by the simple change.

"It was your idea, not mine." Naminé winked before leaving for Kairi's room. She saw her sister pacing along the side of her bed, nervously rubbing her hands together. "You're going to kill your feet if you keep doing that."

"What was that?" Kairi asked frantically.

"What was what?"

"That!" Kairi harshly whispered, a finger pointing in the direction of the living room. "What Sora said!"

"Kairi, honey… that's called a compliment. Those are _good_ things—"

"Don't patronize me! I know it was a compliment, but… but didn't it come out a little too easily? It was too casual, right? He should've been more afraid to say something like that if he didn't mean that in the friendly way. But he didn't even stutter! Nam, what if I do something stupid and he doesn't like me back—"

"You're stressed because he thinks you look _gorgeous_?"

"Maybe!"

"Then you're overthinking things. I think he likes you back anyway. I didn't just spend all that time with him talking about the weather, if you know what I mean."

"Well what did he say?" Kairi was suddenly very interested in Naminé.

"He seemed happy to hear how you reacted to all of this."

"You told him?" Kairi groaned in mortification. "Why did you do that?"

"Just because." Before Kairi could question her further, Naminé left her room and met with Sora in the living room again. He looked up at her, surely wondering where Kairi was. "It's almost ten, Sora. Shouldn't you guys be going soon?"

"Yeah, but—" The doorbell interrupted Sora's sentence. "Oh. Speak of the devil." He ran to the door, pulling it open and allowing Xion and Roxas to step inside.

"Naminé! Are you really going to a club like that?" Xion greeted with a smile.

"I'm not really going with you guys tonight." Naminé's eyes flicked to Roxas, who was looking around the room uninterestedly. Naminé was rather surprised at the sight of him: he apparently knew what looked good on him. _Not that he looks good or anything._ Naminé assured in her mind.

"What? Of course you are! I already told my friends that they'd be meeting Roxas's date tonight!" Xion explained innocently.

Roxas's attention was quickly directed at his best friend. "You did _what?_"

"You mean you aren't going with him?" Naminé's brows furrowed in doubt.

"Nope! Riku's my date tonight."

Roxas, Sora, and Naminé were quick to react to the news.

"What?"

"Whoa, no way!"

"How? I thought—" Naminé closed her mouth. She wasn't supposed to know that Xion said she wouldn't go as Riku's date.

"Yeah, I am." Xion shrugged. "I'm going to head over to his house right now, and we'll leave from there."

"Wow. I thought you were going with Roxas like Naminé did."

"I didn't know we were required to bring dates." Roxas said through clenched teeth.

Xion ignored the glare he was sending her and jingled her car keys. "It's not a requirement. I just told Luxord what to expect from us, that's all. Now I apologize for cutting this short, but I really gotta go. Hopefully Riku will be ready as soon as I arrive."

"Xion—"

"I expect to see all of you there!" Xion said with a smile. Her eyes, however, never left Roxas's when she spoke. "See you."

And with that, Naminé was left with the twins in her living room. Sora seemed shocked, but didn't seem to pay it any mind. Roxas, however, glared at the door Xion had closed behind her.

"Ready to go?" Kairi came out of her room, a small red purse in her hand. She looked around the room, noticing how weird everyone was acting. "Did I miss something?"

"Nope!" Sora tucked his hands behind his head. "But I think we have to wait for Naminé to get ready. And I don't mean to rush anyone, but I offered to take Hayner and Olette. Partly because I'm their friend, and partly because Olette knows the way to get there…"

"Oh. Don't let me hold you up. Six people won't fit in your car anyway. You guys can go on ahead." Naminé crossed her arms, brushing any protests away. "Seriously. I don't feel like going anywhere today."

"Nam…" Kairi started.

"Just go. All of you. I'll be fine here."

"Well if you're sure…" Sora turned to his brother and best friend. "Shall we go?"

Roxas was first to reply. "Go. Take Kairi. I have to… I'll wait here for this one." Roxas nodded in Naminé's direction. Sora looked conflicted, but nodded.

"Well, I guess we'll see you guys there…" He said slowly.

"Nam, I really hope you change your mind." Kairi and Sora left through the front door; Roxas closed it as soon as they left.

Naminé again found herself alone with Roxas. A long silence passed before either of them did or said anything.

"Well? Aren't you going to get ready?"

Naminé looked up, offended. "Didn't you just hear me say that I'm not going?"

"I'm not taking no for an answer. Get yourself ready or go like that."

"I'm not going anywhere. Go by yourself." Naminé walked past him, dropping onto the couch and turning on the TV. "Just tell everyone that I'm not feeling well."

Roxas walked over and stopped right in front of her, obstructing her view. He stood over her, his blue eyes glaring at her. "Why are you being so difficult? Is it because I'm the one asking you? Well sorry that it's not Kairi or Xion, but that doesn't change the fact that you have to go."

"I don't have to go anywhere." Naminé said in a low voice, standing up and staring up at Roxas. "And it doesn't matter who tells me that. Neither Kairi nor Xion. I'm staying here tonight. If you want to leave, go. I'd gladly lend you my car since you're so intent on getting there on time. Now, I'd appreciate it if you got out of my way. I'm trying to watch a movie here."

Roxas's eyes narrowed; neither of them was backing down. Finally, after what seemed like minutes, Roxas relented. A satisfied smirk formed on Naminé's face.

"Fine. Stay here and watch."

"I will, thank you." Naminé watched as Roxas stalked off, but frowned when he didn't go out the door. Instead, he walked into the hallway that led to her room. "Hey! _Hey!_"

Roxas ignored her, walking past the bathroom. Naminé only managed to catch up to him when he reached her room.

"I thought you were going to watch a movie." He said simply.

"What are you doing here? This is my room!"

"I'm taking it upon myself to pick something for you to wear while you watch TV."

Naminé was burning with anger. The audacity of this boy was starting to piss her off _big time_. The last straw was drawn when he threw the closet doors open.

"Stop! Get out!" She yelled at the top of her lungs. Roxas turned around, seemingly unaffected by the volume of her voice. "I was having a great day— the best day of this whole vacation so far— because I didn't have to put up with you at all! And within _minutes_ of arriving in _my house_, you manage to piss me off! Just what the hell is your problem? Why won't you just accept the fact that I'm not going to your stupid club tonight? I don't like that kind of stuff, so sue me! But don't you dare go through my stuff without my permission, and don't you dare push me around like I deserve it!"

"You want to know what my problem is?" Roxas asked in a low voice. "My problem is _you._ Contrary to your own beliefs, I was enjoying my day too. But that all changes when I realize how stupidly spoiled and uncaring and selfish you are!" Roxas's voice rose to a yell. "You think I'm doing this to piss you off? Of course you do, because every action of mine is done solely to get a reaction out of _you._ Because I don't do things unless it annoys Naminé, right!"

"I didn't—"

"Well here's a reality check: you're _not_ the center of my universe. We're not telling you to come because you're the life of the party, but you apparently seem to think so. No, Xion is telling you to come because it'd mean a lot to our best friend, who worked his ass off to get where he is! But you wouldn't know the first thing about that, would you? Being that everything was handed to you, you don't understand anything about how tough it is to get noticed!

"Maybe I'm stupid. I'm stupid for thinking that maybe, just maybe, you would understand that when you're trying to get in the spotlight, every ounce of support counts. But I was wrong. You've always spent your time in the spotlight. Everyone at your school knows who you are because of your parents. Everyone in your town probably knows who you are too. The connections that you need are probably already there for you."

Naminé was stunned into a silence. Across from her, Roxas's eyes seemed to pierce right through her. The boy was breathing heavily, shaking slightly as he tried to calm himself.

"Do you think I'm the kind of person who goes out partying every weekend?" Roxas asked quietly. "I hate that stuff. It's overrated. It's noisy, everyone's sweaty, and I can't stand some of the people that go there. But my best friend asked me to come because he was worried that nobody would show. He also told me and Xion to bring as many people as possible. I'm going and sucking it up, even though I'd rather be at home right now. And everyone else, thankfully, agreed to go. But I guess you're above them, right? Because you're Naminé and you never have to do what you don't want to.

"Stay and watch your movie." Roxas's voice and breathing had returned to normal. He stuffed his hands in his pockets and walked out of her room. "I'll just get someone to pick me up."

The door to Naminé's room closed, leaving the blonde alone as she requested. But Naminé found that she wasn't satisfied. She simply stared at the wall of her room.

She thought that his words shouldn't have bothered her. He was always mean to her, so it shouldn't have been a surprise. She was supposed to move on and ignore them.

But Naminé found herself hurt. And if she was being truthful to herself, she'd admit that his words stung. It's not that they were true— were they? — But she saw something else in Roxas's eyes when he yelled at her. It wasn't anger, either. Almost every time he looked at her, she saw that in his eyes. But this time, there was something else in his eyes that really tore right through her.

Disappointment.

Why was that there? As far as she knew, Roxas never thought highly of her. Why, then, did he look at her like she let him down?

Whatever the reason, it bothered Naminé more than anything he'd ever said to her before. She found that she wasn't even mad; all she felt was sadness. Like she really did drop the ball for someone she cared about.

"Why…" Naminé whined to herself, "I don't like you, I don't care for you, and I don't ever listen to you… why do you still get to me?" She groaned as she stared at her open closet.

Was she being a brat? She really didn't think so. She was no friend of Roxas's, so why should she care— why was she even obligated— to go to that club when she didn't want to?

She blinked as the truth hit her. The real reason why she was adamant on not going was because Roxas was going.

Kairi could have easily convinced her if they were home. Hell, Kairi convinced her to come _here_.

She really was resisting because of him.

She was going to go. She didn't think she was being selfish about it though. In her mind, Roxas was still the bully. She had the right to stay at home if she wanted, and to tell her friends 'no' when she pleased. But she knew it was wrong to rob herself of a potentially decent time with friends. And Roxas's best friend did say that every person counted. Grabbing her towel and a few clothes, Naminé walked out of her room and threw the objects in the bathroom. After turning on the water to let it warm up for her shower, she looked around her house for Roxas.

He was nowhere in sight, but the front door was unlocked. Naminé walked out and found him standing in the driveway, holding his phone.

"Hey," she called out to him, her voice a little hoarse. He was completely surprised that she was there. "Don't call for a ride. We can take my car."

"Forget it, you don't have to—"

Naminé didn't give him time to say anything. "I thought about what you said… and I still think you're an asshole for bullying me like that, but you were almost right. Sit somewhere inside and wait. I'll be ready soon."

She didn't even wait for a reply. Instead, she walked straight back into her house and prepared herself for a night out.

* * *

><p>Absolutely nothing was said on the car ride to the club. Granted, Roxas was itching to make a comment on how "I'll be ready soon" meant "have fun waiting in the living room for half an hour" but decided against it. She did, after all, agree to go.<p>

He was thankful for that. Partly because he had convinced her to help fill the crowd, and partly because she saved him from making an apology.

In truth, Roxas felt _terrible_ after yelling at Naminé like that. As soon as he left the room, he knew he crossed the line. It was one thing for someone else to tell him that he was being too mean; it was another thing entirely when Roxas himself thought he was too mean.

He hadn't even made a call to Xion for a ride. He actually went outside to catch some air, cool his head, and suck up his pride to apologize. But she surprised him by finding him. And before he could stop her to apologize, she went and told him she'd go.

So he guessed he didn't have to apologize.

He still felt a little bad about it though. Just because he managed to convince her to go didn't mean that his words weren't uncalled for. But she didn't seem to bring anything of it up, so he wouldn't either. This was working, this silence. She didn't have to talk to him and he didn't have to talk to her.

So when he got out of the car, he only said what was necessary. "Stay close to me."

Roxas seemed to take a stutter step when he realized how that sounded. He paid it no further thought and instead walked up to the club entrance. As expected, there wasn't a line.

Naminé did as Roxas requested and followed right behind him. It was well into the night, and Naminé could hear the loud music blaring from the innocent-looking building they were approaching. A single club and a spade decorated the top left corner of the building; besides that, it looked like just another white building, lit by the dull orange of the nearby streetlamp. A large, muscular man was standing at the entrance, his arms crossed and bulging from his shirt. He wore a similar outfit to Roxas's, minus the vest.

"Arriving fashionably late, I see." The man spoke in a deep voice.

"I was caught up with things, Lex." Roxas replied coolly.

"Of course. This your girlfriend?" Naminé blushed when the man looked at her expectantly.

"N-No. She's not." Roxas replied.

"Your date, then?"

Roxas's face reddened. "No, not really."

The large man shook his head. "Shame. Guess she'll have to wait outside then."

"Wait, Lexaeus." Naminé watched Roxas pull a card from his wallet. "Fine. She's my date. Can we go in now?"

The muscular man seemed satisfied. "Feel free."

Naminé merely stared when Roxas looked back at her. She assumed it was a signal to follow him inside, so she did. As soon as the door opened, the loud music made its way to her ears. After she and Roxas passed the black curtain just inside, she paused in shock.

The club was filled with other teens, many of whom Naminé didn't recognize. The large group of people were dancing and gyrating on the dance floor, lit only by the moving and flashing lights as a familiar song blared from the speakers. Naminé couldn't find a single person she knew, so she was forced to follow Roxas. He seemed to be leading her to the bar.

The long bar was situated along the wall to the left of where they entered, and the dance floor was but a few feet away on the right of the entrance. Tall bar stools with spade-shaped seats lined the wooden countertops; only a few were vacant. Roxas walked straight to the open areas.

"Hey kiddo!" Naminé heard an older man greet Roxas as they arrived at the bar. She focused her eyes on the bartender, her eyes widening when she noticed his eye patch. Like the bouncer outside, he was dressed simply in a black tie, white shirt, and black slacks. He deftly juggled a bottle of liquor in his right hand. "Been waiting on our last VIP member. You want a drink?"

"A non-alcoholic one?" Roxas asked with a smirk. "Sure." He turned around, noticing Naminé's fearful yet curious gaze. He turned back to the bartender. "Xigbar, can you make that two?"

"No problem!" Almost immediately, two drinks slid straight into Roxas's hands. "There you go. Nice of you to finally show up!"

Naminé moved closer to the bar, taking the drink that Roxas wordlessly offered her. She sat on one of the stools next to Roxas, leaning in to listen to his conversation with the bartender.

"Was it always this crowded?" Roxas yelled his question over the loud music. Xigbar shook his head.

"Doll showed up half an hour ago with a party bus filled with you kids. Her date seems to be quite a big deal."

Naminé had a feeling the bartender was referring to Xion.

"Tch. Sure he is." Roxas said. The normal tone of his voice was buried under all the noise. "So it's been good so far?"

"As if! The dancing didn't start until about fifteen minutes ago!" the bartender filled two more glasses and sent them down the bar to a waiting teenager. "I thought the whole thing was a bust when a bunch of kids were standing around like they'd never seen a dance floor before. Good thing Axel and Demyx know how to get people on the floor. I thought Larxene was going to throw a fit."

"She's here?" Roxas asked.

"Say cheese!"

Before Naminé and Roxas could realize, a bright flash of light temporarily blinded them. Naminé blinked past the white dots plaguing her eyes and found a blond woman standing with a camera in her hands.

"Ugh, what the hell?" Roxas rubbed his eyes.

"Suck it up, you baby! I got a nice picture of you and your girlfriend here. I'll have it up in a few days after I've had enough time to make fun of it!"

Since Roxas seemed to act casually with the woman, Naminé assumed it was the Larxene girl they were talking about earlier. "What are you, the club photographer? A warning would have been nice."

"Candid shots are the way to go." The blonde turned to Naminé this time, looking at her as if sizing her up. "You the shrimp's girlfriend?" Naminé quickly shook her head. "His date then?"

Naminé didn't know what to say to that. She was and wasn't at the same time. So she looked to Roxas to answer for her.

"For tonight, I guess she is." He didn't even bother to look at her when he said that. Before she had the chance to confront him about it, someone had placed their hands over her eyes.

"Guess who?" Naminé recognized Xion's voice and pulled her hands over her head. "You came!"

Naminé returned the hug that Xion gave her. "Yeah, I thought I'd uh… show my support for someone I don't really know." Naminé finished weakly.

"Well thank you! That really means a lot to Roxas and me." Xion turned to the bartender. "Xigbar, can we get two shots of what little alcohol you have in stock for tonight?"

Xigbar laughed before taking a bottle from under the bar table. "Thought you'd never ask. I was starting to question why we gave some of our VIP cards to kids."

When he finished, Xion took the filled shot glasses and handed one to Naminé. "I hope you can hold your alcohol. Do you drink?"

"I can, but isn't this illegal?" Naminé asked, looking around to see if anyone was looking at her.

Xion shrugged, a mischievous glint in her eye. "Don't you drink anyway?"

Naminé smiled. "I guess." The two clinked their shot glasses together before gulping it down. Naminé's face contorted in disgust. "Whiskey?"

"Not your favorite, it seems." Xion giggled. "Why don't you find yourself a table? I want you to meet someone, a friend of mine. I think you'll like him."

Naminé nodded warily, unsure of whether Xion was meaning to set her up with someone or not. "Sure, let me—" she looked around, but she didn't see the boy who was just sitting there seconds ago. "Where'd Roxas go?"

"Probably up to the DJ's balcony." Xion pointed to an area over the dance floor that was covered with tinted glass. "Don't worry about him."

"I wasn't worried." Naminé got up, spotting an open table on the far end of the room. "I'll be over there. Don't take long, all right?"

"I'll be right there!" Xion walked off, seemingly straight into the crowd of dancing teens. Naminé went in the opposite direction, hoping that the area she was heading toward was a little quieter.

* * *

><p>Roxas stared at the door labeled 'Diamondheart Suite'. He pulled out his wallet, taking out the other card Xion had given him earlier today. It didn't have any barcode or black strip on it at all, so Roxas did the only thing he could think of: he waved the card in front of the door handle and, to his surprise, it opened.<p>

He walked into the room, relieved to find a refuge from the noise outside. The Diamondheart Suite was a large white and red room, intricately decorated and themed to fit the motif that was Club Spades. The suite was placed so that it oversaw the dance floor; Roxas figured that he was staring through a wall of one-way glass since he didn't realize what it was from the outside. Directing his attention to the room occupants, he was surprised to find only one person inside. Like always, he was buried in yet another novel, sitting with one leg crossed over the other on a couch.

"You would come to a club to read a book." Roxas teased as he walked toward the boy just a year older than himself. "Nice to see you, Zexion."

Zexion lowered the book that was held to his face and looked Roxas in the eye— or at least, the one eye that wasn't covered by his dark hair. "Roxas. Pleasure seeing you again."

"Of course." Roxas shook the outstretched hand. "Why are you in here?"

"Because I can be. It's the only place quiet enough to not only read, but use a normal speaking voice." Zexion shrugged as if it were obvious. "You might find this shocking, but I actually don't want to be here."

Roxas grinned. He should have expected sarcasm. "Yeah, I know what you mean." Roxas looked around the room, finding a set of double doors that separated one wall of glass from another." Are Demyx and Axel in there?"

"Yes." Zexion nodded in affirmation. "Axel was looking for you. I suggest you let your presence be known."

"Way ahead of you." Roxas opened the door that led to the DJ station. Both of his friends turned around as light flooded into their small quarters.

"I was wondering if you were going to show at all! That would have been mean, my best friend standing me up and all." Axel took Roxas's outstretched hand and pulled him in for a man-hug.

"You definitely had us worried." Roxas repeated the action with Demyx. He wasn't as close to the other DJ, but considered him a friend nonetheless. It'd be a lie to say that he didn't hang out with Demyx often in the past.

"I had a couple things to deal with before arriving. Sorry I was late." Roxas patted both guys on the back as he looked down into the dance floor.

"You didn't miss much. Everyone was standing like cows until we practically begged them to get going. Your brother was the one who actually led the crowd."

"Pretty brave of him." Demyx nodded in approval. Roxas watched Demyx bring one side of his headphones up to his ear and smoothly transition from one song to the next. "I just hope people remember our names when they leave tonight. That shouldn't be much of a problem since the alcohol is limited to the adults and VIPs."

"Is everyone here?" Roxas asked. He thought he had an idea who the adults might be.

"Nope. You probably saw most of them. Xaldin is here somewhere, acting as indoor babysitter. He must be bored out of his mind." Axel chuckled to himself as he prepared something on his laptop. "Luxord left as soon as the place was filled. Besides that… I think that's everyone. Everyone you didn't see, at least."

Roxas nodded, searching the crowds for a familiar face. After scanning for a few minutes, he managed to locate his brother and Kairi in the dead center of the crowd, dancing too intimately to be considered just friends. He spotted Hayner and Olette nearby, and soon picked out Selphie, Ven, and Aqua from the crowd. He was a little glad to find that it was difficult to spot his friends; the only reason why was because there were so many people he didn't know.

"So do you guys just let the music play or something?"

"Oh! Thanks for reminding me." Axel picked up a microphone, bobbing his head to the music as he waited. As soon as he fell into the rhythm, his voice reverberated from the speakers. "Club Spades, how ya'll doing tonight?" a loud cheer rang out, making the balcony vibrate from the volume. "That's right! You know you love it! What do you guys say we pick things up a bit? DJ Demyx, can we get a faster beat?"

"Let's do it…" Demyx sped up the current track, preparing for an ease into the next song.

Axel nodded again, speaking in rhythm to the song. "All right! This is DJ Axel and DJ Demyx for Club Spades! Let's go everybody, hands up! Hands up! Hands up! Hands up!"

Roxas felt a chill run down his spine as the crowd fed off Axel's energy. He could feel the change in atmosphere, and a smile made its way onto his face. He knew people down there were having fun. "Nice one." He fist bumped Axel and Demyx.

"What can I say? I've got the swag and the charisma. I do it like a boss." Axel shrugged. "We've got a whole night to party away."

* * *

><p>Naminé blanched as the room grew louder. The table she found was more like a rounded booth; she had to lean outward to see the crowd of jumping people, most of them with their hands in the air. Some mouthed or sang the words to the song; others seemed completely lost to the music.<p>

Just as she was beginning to wonder when Xion was going to return, she noticed the small girl pushing her way through the crowd. Behind her, a very reluctant-looking boy followed behind her, probably against his own will. Naminé noticed Xion's hand encircling the boy's wrist and how he seemed to cringe from the volume of the speakers.

She quickly assumed that he, like her, did not want to be there.

"Naminé!" Xion bounced as she got closer. "Look who I brought!"

Naminé smiled weakly as the two filed into the opposite side of the booth. She waved to both of them. "Hi."

"Naminé, this is Zexion. Zexion, this is Naminé. She's Roxas's date for tonight." Xion explained. Naminé blushed under the hard gaze of the boy.

"Is that so?" Naminé had to lean forward to hear the question.

Naminé blushed, but shook her head. "Not really. We just came together."

"Yeah you did!" Naminé cackled. Zexion shook his head in disgust, prompting another reaction from Xion. "Oh come on! You know you found it funny!"

"And to think I actually entertained the possibility that you'd leave me alone tonight…"

Naminé looked back and forth between the two. She assumed that it was the dynamic of their weird friendship, considering the small smile on Zexion's face. "So are you here to show your support too?"

"You mean to say that you noticed I was having a fantastic time here?" Zexion's brow rose when he caught Xion staring at him with puppy dog eyes. "Oh for crying out loud… a _fabulous_ time here."

Xion squealed, clapping like a seal before she tightly embraced the boy. "You always knew how to make me happy!"

"When you're happy, you tend to leave me alone." He responded in monotone.

Naminé found herself smiling at the exchange between the two. She was rather confused; the way Zexion spoke showed he seemed to harbor a lot of ill feeling toward Xion, but the smile on his face told otherwise. It was a strange, almost one-sided kind of friendship. She really didn't know what to make of them.

"You look a little confused." Xion laughed at the look on Naminé's face. "As my only gay friend, I've declared Zexion to be my _sassy_ gay friend. Admit it. You wish you had one."

"There is absolutely nothing sassy about me. And I'm sorry that I don't fit that profile… wait. I'm not sorry at all. Tough luck."

"See? He's so cute when he's snappy like that." Xion made a motion to pinch his cheek, but her hand was swatted away.

"I don't know how Roxas puts up with you for more than five minutes a day." He responded with a defeated sigh. He then turned to Naminé, who was forced to watch the strangest friendship she had ever encountered. "Speaking of Roxas… shouldn't you be with him right now?"

Naminé shook her head. "I don't think that's a good idea. I'd rather be here than around him."

Zexion looked at her quizzically, but didn't ask any questions. "Alright then." He turned to Xion, "Would you kindly get out of the booth? I'd like to return to the suite, and you happen to be in my way."

"Not gonna dance with me?" Xion asked with a sultry smile.

"Who are we kidding? You know I hate you." He replied casually, sliding out after her. "Naminé, it was a pleasure meeting you. I'm sure we'll meet again."

"Y-Yeah. See you later." Naminé nodded timidly. She watched Zexion walk off.

"You don't hate me! You just root for the other team!" Xion yelled at him through cupped hands. She smiled widely when Zexion turned to grin at her. "Ah, I love that guy…"

"I don't know whether or not that feeling is mutual."

"No, he loves me too. He's just shy. When we first became friends, he was always trying to push me away. We never dropped the act, but he's come to my rescue on more than one occasion." Xion shrugged. "Well, since he's not going to dance with me, will you?"

Naminé immediately retreated back into her seat. "Um, no thanks. I'm fine here, really."

"Seriously?"

"Yeah. I'm not much of a dancer, so I'll just sit here. I'm having fun, so just—" The blonde felt herself being pulled from her seat.

"Too bad! I'm not taking 'no' for an answer! Come on!"

Naminé didn't utter another word of protest as Xion dragged her straight into the crowd of dancing, sweaty people.

* * *

><p>"And I thought it'd be a really cool idea to get a DJ duel going." Demyx explained his future plans to Roxas, who could only nod in half-understanding. "See, I thought those silent rave ideas were awesome, so I thought instead of separating the rooms by type of music, why not just play on two frequencies, Axel on one and me on another, and see which one people like more?"<p>

"That sounds pretty cool. That way you could notice who's winning and the other DJ knows when to adjust their music." Roxas nodded.

"Yeah! And we'll have a counter up to see how many headsets are tuned into each frequency. I think that'd be really cool."

"It'd look weird, seeing a bunch of people dancing to different rhythms. Not to mention the eerie silence of it all." Axel crossed his arms and leaned against the wall. "Not saying it isn't a cool idea, but just pointing out how funny it'd look."

"I think you guys should try it. You know, to see who the better DJ is between the both of you." Roxas said with a mischievous look in his eyes.

"You kidding me? I'd get crushed." Axel looked over their setup and into the crowd. "Looking good down there. Your friends seem to be having fun."

The door behind them opened, and in stepped Zexion, his book nowhere to be found. "It's awfully loud down there." He said. "You should consider turning the music down."

"You know we can't do that." Axel smirked. "Everyone else seems to like it."

"That's because everyone down there is willing to go deaf for a night of dressing up and dancing. They're all dimwits." He then turned to Roxas. "No offense to your brother and your friends."

"None taken."

"Nor your date." Zexion said with a sigh. "I met her. She seems nice."

Roxas's smile dropped from his face. "You met her? When?"

"Just now. Xion dragged me out of the suite to meet her. I managed to keep it to a minute-long ordeal."

"Wait, wait, wait. You came here with a date? And Naminé, no less?" Axel laughed in disbelief. "I thought you… you know."

"I thought I was going with Xion too, but apparently she had other plans." Roxas nodded in the direction of the dance floor. "I don't know what she sees in Riku anyway."

"Well I for one am thankful that she did. That guy walked in with like twenty people in tow." Demyx said with a smile. "Definitely helped the crowd."

"I'll be sure to get his autograph for you then." Roxas said bitterly.

"Easy, Roxas. No need to get so angry." Axel held up both of his hands. "I'm guessing Xion is the reason why you came with Naminé instead?"

"Of course."

"Mind telling me what everyone here obviously knows?" Zexion cut in. "Why is this Naminé girl such a big deal?"

Axel let out a loud laugh, shaking his head. "You mean you didn't know?" Zexion stared back at him. "Oh wow. It's a long story."

"And I've got to spend at least two more hours here. I think I have time."

Axel looked to Roxas, who merely looked at him with tired eyes. "Fine. Tell him."

"Oh wait!" Demyx picked up Axel's phone from a nearby table. "You've got a message from Larxene. 'Just took a picture of the line outside. You're doing a sexy job tonight. How about a ride on that disco stick later?' Ha!" Demyx chuckled as he read the message out loud.

"Give me that!" Axel swiped the phone from Demyx's hand, grumbling about something.

"Wow. That's pretty nasty." Roxas snickered. "Don't tell me you actually refer to your—"

"What does that even mean? What's a disco stick anyway?" Demyx asked.

"You spend your life making music for people and you have no idea what that means?" Zexion asked condescendingly.

Demyx shook his head, a clueless smile on his face. "Is it an amusement park ride? Can I ride it too, Axel?"

Zexion buried his face in his hands. "Unbelievable."

"Hello? I thought we were going to talk about Roxas!" Axel waved his hand in front of everyone, trying to get their attention.

"Well we were about to until we heard that kinky message." Roxas pressed his lips together to keep from laughing.

"But let's talk about Roxas so I can quickly forget what just happened here." The reader of the group rubbed his temples.

The redhead rubbed his hands together. "Okay then! My thoughts exactly! I think a little history lesson is in order, so let's start there."

* * *

><p>After dancing through a few songs with Xion, Kairi, and Sora, Naminé already felt exhausted. So when one song ended, she told her group that she'd be going back to the tables.<p>

And despite the ache in her feet, the sweat that coated her body, and the sheer exhaustion of dancing to a fast rhythm nonstop for a good fifteen minutes, Naminé had to admit that was the most fun she'd had all day. She could have done without the loud music and the crowded dance floor, but it was still fun.

Naminé dropped into the same table she sat at before, groaning in relief as the pain in her feet subsided. She looked to the ceiling, wondering if something had happened to the air conditioning. When did it get so hot?

"Excuse me miss, but is this seat taken?"

Naminé looked up to find a taller boy smiling down at her. He seemed innocent enough.

"No. You can sit if you need to." She replied shyly. She hated talking to strangers. The boy sat down and slid along the bench of the table, two glasses of soda in his hand.

"You look a little tired. Would you like one?" Naminé figured she must've made a face because he laughed at her. "I promise I didn't do anything to them. I'll take a drink from both or mix them to prove it, if you'd like. Really."

Naminé was thirsty, but she was still wary of the drink. How many times had someone stupidly taken a spiked drink from a stranger? "It's okay. I can get one myself."

"Nonsense." The boy then took a sip from each drink, wiping one of the glass rims with a napkin soon after. "Take this. I'm not going to drink both of them."

Naminé looked at the glass in his hand and took it. She figured she'd be fine if she didn't drink it fast. A few sips probably wouldn't hurt. Besides, if he was out to drug her, he just drugged himself too. "Thanks…"

Naminé sat quietly with the stranger, occasionally taking small sips from the drink she had taken from him. She didn't bother to look at the guy, which she knew was awkward, but she didn't know how to handle herself around strangers. Still, it would have been rude to lie and say that the seat was taken. He looked pretty tired himself.

"So are you having fun?" Naminé whipped around to see the boy smiling at her. She nodded.

"Surprisingly, yes. I don't normally come to these places…" she explained before looking away again. She heard him laugh.

"Me neither." From the corner of his eye, she saw his outstretched hand. "What's your name?"

"Naminé." She answered warily. She still took his hand and shook it. "What's yours?"

"Seifer. Seifer Almasy. "

* * *

><p>"And that's why Roxas has been acting like a woman experiencing her first contractions for the past week and a half." Axel finished with a tone that was more appropriate for a 'moral of the story' line. Demyx slow-clapped and pretended to wipe a tear from his eye.<p>

"I already told you that I felt bad for blowing up on her." Roxas mumbled. After Axel had finished the story, Roxas took it upon himself to explain the reason he was late to the guys. All three of his friends thought he was too harsh. The unanimous call was that he should apologize. Roxas thought he'd be absolved of the guilt he was feeling by telling them, but it only served to make him feel even worse.

"Yeah, but still. You didn't say _sorry_. And mean it." Axel patted Roxas's shoulder. "That was totally uncalled for. You played the guilt game on her. Now _I_ feel awful because I feel like I was a part of the scheme."

"Me too." Demyx shook his head disapprovingly. "I mean, it's nice to have a lot of people here, and every person _does_ count. But you didn't have to yell at her."

"Okay, okay! I get it!" Frustrated, Roxas ran his hands through his hair. "I'll say something to her when I leave here tonight, okay?"

"I'll believe that when I see it." Axel returned to his laptop, checking the time. "Wow. We've been here for two hours already. We're officially at the halfway mark!"

"The club closes at two? That's so far away…" Zexion tiredly hung his head.

"I think it's passing by fast. And Roxas, I think your brother seems to think so as well. He and Kairi haven't left the dance floor since starting." Demyx observed as he looked from the balcony.

Roxas looked down to see Sora and Kairi entwined in the center of the dance floor, surrounded by most of his friends. "They're kind of disgusting."

"Yeah, something tells me they're into each other." Axel joked.

Roxas looked around, squinting when he didn't see the girls he was looking for. "Where did Xion and Naminé go?"

All of the guys looked around the club. Zexion pointed to the far right. "There. Naminé is sitting where I met her."

"Is that…" Axel squinted and leaned toward the glass. "Is that who I think it is?"

"Seifer…" Roxas growled under his breath. "Really, guys? Who let him in?"

"Well _duh_. Lexaeus!" Demyx replied smartly. "How else would he get in? Someone's out to fill our stereotype, huh…"

"I mean _why_ was he let in?"

"You act like we should discriminate against those you don't seem to like." Zexion rolled his eyes at Roxas's reaction. "It's opening night, and nobody cares about your stupid vendetta against him."

"My vendetta is anything _but_ personal! You know how he treated Xion in the past!" His blue eyes flashed with anger.

"See, that was a contradiction in itself. I think we got the message across the first time. I mean, look, Xion doesn't seem to mind that he's around." Axel pointed to the bar. "Aww, look how happy she looks. Party boy over there seems to be working his magic. "

Roxas looked in the direction that Axel indicated. Riku was talking in Xion's ear; she threw her head back in laughter over whatever he said.

"You're staring like an idiot." Zexion pointed out after a couple seconds.

"Yeah, thanks. I didn't realize." Roxas grunted. "Does anyone want a drink? I'm going to make a stop by the bar really quick."

Demyx raised his hand. "Oh! Can you get me a—" Roxas slammed the door of the DJ booth behind him, leaving all the guys to stare in wonder. "He's not going to bring me a drink, is he?"

"Probably not."

* * *

><p>"I've gotta say, you've got some smooth moves out there." Xion laughed as Riku offered her a drink.<p>

"Please, no need to flatter. I already know I'm vastly talented compared to everyone else." A gentle smile formed on Xion's face as they drank together. Riku looked puzzled. "Stunned by my good looks, I presume?"

"Thanks, Riku." Xion looked around the club, happy to see so many people. "I don't know how you did it, but this is really great."

"It only happened because you agreed to come to the after party." Since Riku was speaking with his cup at his lips, he spilled his drink on his shirt as he spoke.

Xion broke into a fit of giggles. "Sexy."

Riku chuckled, wiping his shirt with his hands. "You didn't see that. I'm impervious and unable to make mistakes."

"Well I did see it, actually. Are you telling me that was done on purpose?"

"Of course." Riku cleared his throat and narrowed his eyes. "I don't always spill my drink; but when I do, it—"

"It's on purpose." Xion finished for him. Riku rolled his eyes.

"You ruined it." He picked up a few napkins and wiped at his shirt. "Is it stained?"

"Don't be silly. You're wearing a black shirt. Everyone will just think you sweat a lot."

"Well I'm glad I chose to change and match you then." Riku smirked. Xion felt her face grow warm and was forced to look away.

As she kept her gaze away from Riku, she noticed Roxas walking along the fringes of the dance floor. His face told the story: he was somehow pissed off.

"Riku, why don't you dance with the group? Or tell Sora and Kairi to take a break. Whatever is better."

Riku followed Xion's gaze and nodded. "I guess I should." He slowly got up and walked into the crowd, disappearing behind the moving bodies of the dancing teens.

Roxas arrived at the bar, a hard look etched into his features. He loudly ordered a drink from Xigbar before acknowledging Xion's presence. "You seem to be having fun."

"I am. I wish I could say the same about you though." Xion looked at Roxas worriedly. "Something wrong?"

Roxas turned around from where he was looking to look her in the eye. "Are you okay with him being here?"

Xion looked over Roxas's shoulder to see Seifer sitting at Naminé's table. "I honestly didn't know he was here. But he hasn't done anything to me, nor has he approached me. He hasn't done anything since you and the guys had a talk with him." She looked up at Roxas, who was staring back at the table. "You?"

"I don't trust him." Roxas replied simply.

"Well why did you come here, then?" Xion smiled. "It's not me you're worried about."

Roxas whipped his head around to glare at his best friend. "It's not like that."

Xion sighed, staying silent when Roxas turned and craned his neck to look at the two conversing teens at the far table. "Of course not. You just happen to—"

"Something's wrong." Roxas suddenly tensed. He got out of his seat and glared in their direction. "I'm going over there."

"Roxas—" Xion reached for Roxas's shoulder, but she missed as he walked away briskly. She immediately called the bartender. "Xigbar, call Xaldin over right away. I have a feeling Roxas is about to do something stupid."

* * *

><p>Naminé was actually growing tired of Seifer's presence. He'd somehow drawn her into a conversation of superficial proportions, but she never warmed up to someone so forward that quickly, much less one who wasn't associated with one of her own friends. Still, she didn't want to make the guy feel bad. She smiled, talked back, and even laughed at all of his jokes, including the ones that weren't really funny. So she didn't really like the guy, but the least she could do was be polite.<p>

That all ended when he asked her a weird question.

"So what do you say you and me head out of here and get ice cream or something?"

Naminé blinked in surprise. She was flattered, really, that someone was actually asking her out, but she wasn't in the mood. She still wanted to be polite, so she threw on a smile and asked, "Is that even possible? It's past midnight. I doubt any ice cream shop would be open this late."

Seifer laughed, scratching his head in embarrassment. "Right. My bad. Completely slipped my mind." Naminé smiled weakly at him. "Well why don't I take you home? To your house, of course, not mine. I promise I don't bite. You look pretty tired."

Naminé shook her head. Her heart was beginning to race out of nervousness. "Uh, I'm okay. I have friends that I came here with, and they'll take me home. But thanks for the offer." She looked to the dance floor, getting ready to slide out of the round booth, when she felt a hand encircle her wrist.

"Wait. Sorry, sorry. I didn't mean to scare you like that." Naminé noticed that Seifer had come around the table to sit next to her.

"You d-didn't." she smiled forcefully. "I'm just going to—"

"Stay seated here with me." He finished before holding her down. His grip tightened around her wrist, causing her to wince in pain. "Sit." He commanded.

Naminé desperately looked around the club, only spotting the back of Roxas's head at the bar. She had no choice but to slide back into the booth. "That hurts…"

Seifer smiled, indicating that he either didn't hear her or completely ignored her. "See, I'm really glad that I don't scare you. For a second there I thought you were going to leave." He leaned in close to Naminé's face. "But I didn't just waste fifteen minutes of my life talking to you just to watch you walk away from me."

Naminé inhaled sharply when she felt Seifer's other hand on her thigh; she knew that it was hidden under the table. "Please, stop…" She whimpered.

He dug his nails into her thigh, causing her to wince in pain. "Don't you dare utter a word. We're not through until I say so." He smiled when she bit her lip in pain. "Good. Now, here's what we're going to do. You and I are going to walk out of this club together, seeing as how we've just found out that we had _so much_ in common in this conversation. If your friends ask you where you're going, you're going to lie to them and say that I'm taking you home. Are we clear?"

"Something tells me that she isn't really into you, Seifer."

Both Naminé and Seifer looked up to find the owner of the voice. Naminé's heart was pounding in her chest to see Roxas standing at the table.

"Roxas… fancy seeing you here. Is there a reason why you're interrupting this lovely conversation I'm having with my new friend?" Seifer smiled innocently, slowly releasing his death grip on Naminé's thigh. She visibly let out a shaky sigh of relief.

"You mean my date?" Roxas took Naminé's hand. "Come on."

Seifer quickly grabbed Naminé's opposite wrist. "Whoa, now! Your date? If that were the case, what was she doing here sitting all alone?"

Roxas glared daggers at the older boy. He didn't bother answering the question. "Let. Her. Go." He snarled.

Seifer frowned. He looked over Roxas's shoulder to see the bartender staring him down. He released Naminé wrist. "Tch. Fine, have it your way. You think your friends scare me?"

"They should, but I think I'm more than you can handle." Roxas locked his eyes with Seifer's. "If I see you anywhere near her again—"

"You'll what?" Seifer replied cockily. Naminé slowly slid out of the booth, allowing herself to be pulled behind her unexpected savior. "You gonna hit me, chickenwuss? Please. You don't have the balls." Seifer slid out of the booth behind Naminé, staring Roxas face to face before turning his attention to the girl again. "I feel sorry for you. A pretty girl like you stuck with a guy like him?" He raised his hand to brush her cheek, but it was quickly swatted away by Roxas.

"Don't you fucking touch her." He said in a low voice. Naminé shrunk back, seeing Roxas shaking in anger.

"Whoa! You know you'll get kicked out if you hit me, right?" Seifer laughed in Roxas's face. "Control yourself, Roxas. You don't want to embarrass yourself in front of everyone, do you?"

"I'll give you five seconds to walk away." Roxas said in a low voice.

"Empty threats, empty threats." Seifer shook his head, walking past Roxas. As he was leaving, though, he spoke to Naminé one more time. "Call me." She yelped when Seifer spanked her as he passed.

A fist immediately connected with his smirking face, and Naminé watched in horror as the boy crumpled to the floor.

Roxas was blinded with rage. Before he could kick that stupid face in, two broad arms wrapped underneath his own and hauled him away, his struggles seemingly useless. Then he felt a large hand fall over his mouth as he was pulled out of the club through a back exit. He was roughly thrown onto the ground.

"Let me go!" He yelled at the larger man. "Get out of my way! I'm gonna kill that prick!"

"Quiet, Roxas!" Roxas barely recognized the voice as he was roughly grabbed by the upper arm. "I said quiet!"

Roxas pulled himself out of the man's grasp. "How could you do this, Xaldin? You saw what he did! You—"

"I said _quiet._" Xaldin said in a dangerous voice as he grabbed Roxas by the collar. "That's enough, Roxas. It's over."

Roxas, breathing heavily, glared back at the man who restrained him. After a couple seconds, he roughly shoved his way out of Xaldin's grasp. "You saw what he did." Roxas gasped out between breaths. "He touched her. He deserved that and more."

"Let it go, Roxas!" Xaldin commanded with his arms crossed. "The boy is unconscious. His nose is broken, so as soon as he wakes up he'll be kicked out and head straight for the hospital."

"The hospital? Just let the guy rot." Roxas growled.

"The last thing Luxord needs on the opening night of his new venue is your childish drama." Xaldin barked. "Go home, Roxas. It's over. The boy will be handled."

"But—"

"Go home, Roxas." Xaldin commanded. Roxas stared adamantly at the bulky man before sighing in defeat.

"Fine. Whatever." He turned on his heels and stomped off, heading for the parking lot. His heart was still beating rapidly from the exchange. He was, however, thinking more clearly after calming down a bit. All of his senses were beginning to turn to normal, save for the ringing in his ears.

"Roxas!"

He turned around to see Xion standing at the entrance. Naminé was standing beside her, a large coat wrapped around her shoulders. He quickly ran over to them.

"Are you okay?" Naminé asked worriedly. Roxas blinked in surprise before nodding.

"I'm fine, just got kicked out. Whose jacket is that?"

"Xigbar's. He says to return it the next time we see him." Xion explained. "Naminé understandably doesn't wanna be here anymore."

"I'll take her home."

"I'll go with you guys—"

"No. Axel needs everyone to stay the whole night." Roxas interrupted. "Go back inside. Does anyone know about this?"

"No. the only ones who do are the few people who were around. Everyone else was too busy dancing."

"Good. Let's keep it that way." Roxas murmured.

"I can come with you." Xion offered again.

"Xion, don't worry about it. I got it." Roxas tried to use a gentler voice with her. "Go back inside."

Xion knew she wasn't going to convince him. "Fine, I'll go back inside when you guys drive off. Call me if you need anything from any of us though. I swear we'll be right there."

"I know." He nodded before turning to Naminé. "Come on." He placed a hand on her back and led her to the car, not saying a word.

* * *

><p>The first few minutes of the ride were quiet. Roxas had calmed himself considerably, finally feeling the ache in his knuckles. He wasn't thinking straight when he punched Seifer; sure, he still deserved it, but Roxas knew that it could have been handled better if he hadn't acted so impulsively. Still, he was quite satisfied with his work. A broken nose when Seifer woke up? It was the most deserved present he could leave the guy after what he did.<p>

Roxas looked over to Naminé, who had sat still and quietly all throughout the ride. "Are you okay?" He asked quietly.

Naminé looked at him in surprise. "Y-Yeah."

"He didn't hurt you, did he?"

"Nothing that hurts now." Naminé almost whispered. She caught Roxas gripping the steering wheel tighter. "Why did you do it?"

"Help you?" Naminé nodded. "Because you needed it."

"I thought you hated me." Her voice was so soft it was almost lost.

Roxas shook his head. "I don't hate you, Naminé. I just… I don't know what to make of you. I can't stand you." Roxas struggled to explain. "But even so… nobody deserves to go through what you had to. I may not like you, but I'm not the kind of guy who'll stand by and let things like that happen."

A minute of silence passed between the two.

Roxas surprised both of them when he chuckled. "I really don't get you at all. Anytime I do something to annoy you, you always seem to have an answer. No matter how many times or how many ways I make you angry, you have something to throw right back at me. It's like no matter what I do, you always come right back, fists flying. But tonight… I don't get it. Some douchebag comes onto you and you freeze. It's like every ounce of the strength you constantly show me suddenly disappeared."

"I didn't know how to react." Naminé replied lowly. "He was a stranger. But you… I've been dealing with you all this time."

"Guess you have." Roxas said with a sigh. He carefully pulled into the driveway of Naminé's house. He delicately led Naminé into the house without a word passing between them. He followed her to her room; he knew she didn't need any help walking, but he felt that he should stay close.

Naminé turned on the light to her room, shrugging off the jacket the bartender had lent her. She turned to face Roxas, looking him in the eye. "Roxas, I… thank you. I don't know what would have happened if you hadn't showed up."

Roxas was completely taken aback. He couldn't fight down the small smile that formed on his face. He didn't know why he smiled; perhaps because it was the first time he saw Naminé genuinely express gratitude. "It's nothing. He shouldn't have been able to lay a finger on you." He turned around to leave the room.

"Wait." Naminé called after him. Roxas froze in his tracks, but didn't turn around. "Don't leave. I-It's already late, so just… just stay here for the night."

She watched him nod, half turning to look at her. "Of course. I'll be in the living room if you need me." He walked down the hallway, disappearing behind the wall where the living room was. Naminé closed her door, but left it open a crack. She didn't know why she told him to stay; it was instinctual. Perhaps she didn't want to be alone after what had happened.

Naminé quickly changed into more comfortable clothes, noticing that her hands were still shaking slightly. She curled them into fists, hoping that it'd help her calm down. She closed her eyes and breathed slowly, opening them slowly to slip into bed. Using a remote, she turned off her light; she could still see, though, from the sliver of light that spilled into her room from the cracked door.

She squeezed her eyes shut and curled into a ball, trying to get a hold of herself. _Calm down._ She told herself. _Go to sleep now. You're safe, Naminé. You're safe._

Within the hour, Namine slipped into sleep. Down the hall in the living room, however, was a different story.

Roxas lay awake on the couch, staring at random objects in the quiet house. The TV was on, playing something on a low volume, but Roxas hadn't been watching. His thoughts had been plagued with guilt to the point that he couldn't sleep. He'd look down the hallway that led to Naminé's room every once in a while, but couldn't get himself to stand.

But as his eyes flew open for the umpteenth time, Roxas forced himself to sit up. He took a few deep breaths before walking to Naminé's room, hoping that she'd be asleep. He sighed in relief when he saw the slow rise and fall of her figure underneath the covers. He opened his mouth, but the words couldn't escape him. He sighed again.

"Look at me." He ran a hand through his messy hair as he sat at the threshold of her room. "I can't sleep because I feel so guilty. So of course, I force myself to apologize… but I can't do it to your face. You have to be asleep for me to even say anything." He paused again, looking down at his open palms.

"I'm sorry. I'm sorry for what happened tonight, and I'm sorry for saying all those terrible things to you. I know I crossed the line. And now… and now all of this happened because of me. I forced you to go tonight. If I had just let you stay home, you wouldn't have ever encountered that prick… but because of me, he found you. I'm sorry that even happened.

"I know things haven't been great between us, but know that I would never wish for something like that to happen to you; even if you manage to make me angry every time I see you." Roxas pushed himself to his feet as quietly as possible. "I can't even say any of this while you're awake…" he berated himself under his breath, "I know I'm being a coward, but I hope you understand."

As he turned to leave, Roxas took one final glance at Naminé's sleeping form. He placed his hand on the doorknob and allowed himself to smile. "I'm kind of mad I even let you out of my sight. I won't be making that mistake again. You… you looked beautiful tonight."

Roxas pulled the door behind him, leaving it ajar as he'd found it.

* * *

><p><strong>Redeeming Endeavor<strong>: Thank you so much for the faves and subscriptions, whether it was LPA or myself. I had so many notifications when I got back... thank you. And thank you for even reading! I've never received so many hits/visitors to any of my stories before this one. It's really amazing.

Special thanks goes out to **YAYAY317, DoC, Spellbound a.k.a soragirl4ever, Ash09, typewrite, Aaralynne, Naivette, PEANUT v1.2, Zoe the Hunter, KeybladeMaster 97, Stonekipsta, elspoek1, Gear001, VIII, Claymore Person, happy reader, BlackButterfly9, Draco Oblivion, Maskedgirl3, BruHaeven, Shire Folk, **and** ChocoIsu**. Thanks so much for the feedback! I wish I could better communicate how much I appreciate your time and words.

Chapter Data- Total Editing Time: 934 minutes (Whoa!). Word Count: 14,795.- Longest chapter I've ever written, uninflated.

Harmless Author Fact #7: I don't play as much as I used to, but if there's one game I bet I can beat you in, it's Super Smash Bros Brawl.

That said, take care! I'll see you around.


	8. Isotopes

Chapter 8: Isotopes

Naminé was slow to wake up the next morning.

The blonde cracked her eyes open, relieved to find her room darkened by her closed blinds. A little light managed to sneak under the vertical covers, but it wasn't enough to distress her. Pushing herself up, Naminé blinked her drowsiness away, confused for a second. The memories from last night finally came back to her and, interestingly, her first reaction was to wonder where Roxas went.

Naminé first looked around her room for her phone. She grabbed it off her nightstand, bringing the time up: 9:20 AM.

Under normal circumstances, Naminé would've immediately thrown herself back into bed to sleep for at least another forty-five minutes. But still, that urge to look for Roxas pressed her. So she threw off the covers and made her way to the door, opening it as quietly as possible. She stepped lightly on the tile, the only sound coming from her feet delicately padding across the hard surface. She peeked into the living room. A curious feeling ran through her when she realized he wasn't there. But surprise quickly filled its place when she recognized Sora sleeping on one of her sofas.

She concluded that he must've stayed the night. Naminé watched him sleep, smiling at how he appeared to have just fallen on the sofa unconscious. An arm and leg hung over the side of the couch as the boy snored softly, his chest rising and falling in a slow rhythm.

Naminé's head whipped to her right when she heard someone outside fiddling with the lock of her front door. Her breath caught in her throat as she watched the lock handle turn into the open position; a wave of fear seized her, freezing her in place.

But that all ended when the door opened. On the other side, Roxas raised his eyes to meet hers, just as surprised to find her there. She visibly relaxed as Roxas stepped inside with a box of doughnuts and a paper bag placed atop it. He quietly closed the door, locking it securely.

The two blondes stared at each other for a while, unable to find the words to say to each other. Naminé didn't understand why, but she remembered that she came out to look for him. She was shocked to see that he seemed cleaned and rested, his clothes far from the formal attire he had donned the previous night.

"I… I brought food." Roxas whispered. He found himself unable to look Naminé in the eye. "Did I wake you?"

Naminé felt a lump form in her throat. She realized that she had no idea what to do. Should she answer? The whole situation was extremely uncomfortable. "O-Oh." She said dumbly. It was all she could come up with, so she shook her head to answer the subsequent question.

"Do you… do you want to eat now?" He asked. Naminé was again left speechless. This was not the same Roxas she had known all her life. Why did he look so _fragile_ in front of her? He was acting so shy.

She nodded out of fear of saying something stupid.

The two sat at the kitchen table, sitting across from each other. Roxas pulled out two Styrofoam cups, each covered in a plastic lid. He slid one over to Naminé.

The aroma of coffee reached her nose. She quickly picked it up, realizing how much she had desired her normal morning drink. She took a cautious sip, her eyes widening. She knew it was going to be piping hot: she did not, however, expect it to taste so good.

"How'd you know what to put?" She blurted out. She then looked him in the eye, her eyes showing that she regretted asking.

But Roxas met her eyes, a pink tint forming across his face. "The day you arrived. It's our favor— it's the same as mine…" he trailed off, breaking eye contact with her again.

He was right. How could she forget? One of the first things they fought over was the very same breakfast. "Oh. Right."

"You can have some doughnuts. There's enough for everyone." He mumbled as he opened the box. Naminé already knew what to expect this time. And of course, taking up a good portion of the box was half a dozen of the same doughnut: chocolate frosting with sprinkles.

Naminé waited until Roxas took one before she did. It was so awkward and silent between them that she felt very self-conscious about her actions. Would he stare at her if she ate? What if she was sipping loudly? Would he get mad if she asked for a napkin? So many things ran through her mind as she tried to adjust to this stranger in front of her.

Roxas, on the other hand, wanted to scratch his head and slam his face on a table. The silence was almost suffocating. He didn't know why, but his heart was beating rapidly, and his fingers shook— hopefully not enough to be noticed— with nervousness. He gulped, finishing the first of his food. "Did you… what time did you wake up? Are you okay?" His voice cracked when he began his question; his face reddened as a reaction.

Naminé kept her gaze averted. "I'm fine since… since I haven't really thought about it. I only woke up a couple minutes before you uh," Naminé wanted to slap herself for talking so strangely, "before you got back."

"Oh."

Another period of silence.

"What time did you get up?"

Roxas looked at Naminé. Had she just asked him a question? "Um, about an hour ago. I went back home to shower and change and to get Sora some clothes. I uh… I stopped by the café to bring breakfast back." He explained. "I have to go to work for a couple hours, so… yeah. I should be out before three though."

"O-Oh. Cool."

Silence.

At that moment, Roxas wanted to do nothing more than bury his face in his hands— or a pillow— and let out a nice, lengthy scream of frustration.

He mentally berated himself for mouthing off. She didn't ask for an explanation! And why the hell did he say when he was getting off? As if she cared! He really wanted to just run out of the house and get away from her gaze. It was almost painful to be in her presence thanks to how… _awkward_ it was between them.

Roxas didn't know whether or not if he made it worse when he said _nothing_ as he threw away his empty coffee cup and grabbed the keys to the car Sora had driven.

"Are you leaving now?" He heard her soft voice again. Would he ever get used to it? The sound of _sincerity_ in her voice? Before it had always been a weapon used against him. Now it was a genuine question she directed his way.

"Yeah." Came his one-word reply.

"Oh." Naminé gripped her cup with two hands. "Bye, then."

Roxas gulped again. "Yeah. See ya."

Naminé watched him leave from the corner of her eye. As soon as the front door closed behind him, Naminé heard someone coming from the hallway behind her. It was probably her sister.

The heavy feeling of sleep Kairi was feeling soon disappeared when she saw Naminé sitting alone at the kitchen table. She quickly ran to her younger twin, concern filling her features.

"Naminé! I'm so sorry; I didn't hear what happened until we left? Are you okay? I wanted to check last night but you were still asleep!" Kairi said in desperation.

Naminé leaned away from her sister. "Kairi, I'm fine. Roxas brought me home immediately and I fell asleep. I'm fine, and I'd rather not talk about it." Naminé reassured her sister with a smile. Kairi stared at Naminé as if searching her face for any hints of lying. Satisfied, she looked around the room.

"Was Roxas here?"

Naminé nodded. "Yeah. He bought us all breakfast. He just walked out the door as soon as you came out though."

"Wait here." Kairi told her sister before darting out the door. Kairi knew she probably looked like crap. She only managed to wipe off some of her make up before going to bed, and then she found it incredibly hard to fall asleep. She felt partially responsible that her sister had to put up with some dirt bag. But she heard what Roxas did for Naminé, and she wasn't going to let him go silently. "Roxas! Hey!"

Roxas saw Kairi running out to meet him before he could drive off. Leaving the car on, Roxas stepped out as Kairi came around. "Kairi, something wrong?" He found himself surprised yet again— just this morning was chock-full of them— when he was embraced.

The redhead squeezed him tightly. "Thank you, Roxas. I heard about what happened last night and I'm really grateful."

Roxas blushed, half-heartedly returning the hug. "Uh, no problem. I… I would've done it for anyone, really."

Kairi pulled back to smile at him. "I know. And I'm really glad you were there. It really relieves me to know that Naminé has someone who cares watching over her."

Roxas looked away. "I-I have to go to work now." He changed the subject and reached into the passenger's seat. "These are Sora's clothes so he has something to wear. Can you give it to him?"

Kairi nodded slowly. "Of course. Thanks again, Roxas."

"Yeah. I'll see you guys later."

Kairi watched Roxas drive off before returning to the house. Inside, Naminé seemed to be finishing the last of her food, and Sora was still sprawled haphazardly over the sofa, sleeping his life away. Kairi rolled her eyes and placed Sora's clothes on another couch. He could change later.

"Are those for Sora?" Naminé asked quietly. Kairi nodded.

"He'll need them when he wakes up. And Nam, I know you said you're alright, but do you want to talk about it? You know I'm here."

Naminé shook her head. "Kairi, please stop worrying. I'm fine. Whatever I needed to say was cleared up with… Roxas." Naminé allowed the name to come out with her breath. "It's done and over with. Nothing but a bad memory."

"Okay." Kairi relented. She knew that if her twin was lying, she'd feel it. Naminé had apparently but the event behind her and would cope in her own way.

"Did you have a good time last night?" Naminé's eyes drifted to Sora's sleeping form.

"I did until I found out about—"

"Kairi, come on. It's getting to the point where it's starting to be really annoying because you keep asking about it."

"I'm just concerned. But if you are really okay with things, then I'll stop." Kairi agreed to dismiss the subject. "Just… stay close to me next time we go out."

Naminé giggled, shaking her head. "You don't have to babysit me. I can handle things on my own, and it probably won't happen ever again. This was just a freak case." Naminé looked to Sora before returning her gaze to Kairi. "Now can we please talk about someone else? Maybe you, for starters. How was your night?"

Kairi looked over at the sleeping boy on their couch too. "Lots of fun, actually. I really wish you could've—"

"_Please,_ Kairi."

The redhead inhaled deeply, releasing a long breath as she made herself listen to her sister. "Sora kind of dragged me onto the dance floor when no one was dancing."

"I heard the bartender say that everyone was standing around."

Kairi nodded with a laugh. "Yeah, we… nobody really knew if it was socially acceptable to dance on an empty dance floor. But Sora took it upon himself to be the first. I think it's because Riku finally arrived. If Riku was bringing the party, Sora was going to be the one to start it."

"Boys." Naminé rubbed her forehead with her fingers. "And I suppose you never found the chance to leave?"

"That, and I kind of didn't want to." Kairi stared at Sora as she spoke. "Nam, if I said that I thought Sora liked me, would you think I was crazy?"

"No. Definitely not." The younger twin shook her head. "I actually think it's possible. No, I think you're completely right."

Kairi blushed. "I kind of got that vibe when we were dancing. I mean I enjoyed it and all, but… I don't know. I kind of expected something to happen, and it didn't."

Naminé immediately thought the reason nothing happened had something to do with the fact that Kairi found out her sister had left the club due to a harassment case. She didn't want to bring it up again. "Um, why do you say that?"

"Promise you won't judge me?"

Naminé gave her sister a puzzled look, but nodded. "Um, yeah. Why would I?"

"I asked him if he wanted to sleep with me." Kairi shrugged as she grabbed a doughnut. It immediately fell from her hand and back into the box. "Oh my gosh. That does not mean what it sounds like. Feel free to judge me for that."

Naminé covered her gaping mouth. "Please explain what exactly that was supposed to entail."

"I was merely asking him if he wanted to share a bed!" Kairi picked up the same doughnut she had dropped earlier and took a bite out of it. "You know, like when we were kids."

"We're not kids anymore, Kairi. We're teenagers with raging hormones. And nothing against Sora or anything, but he's a teenager too. A teenage boy." Naminé folded her arms across the table. "I take he declined?"

"Yeah, which is why I'm having doubts that he… you know. Likes me like that." Kairi took another bite out of her doughnut.

"Kairi, I think it has more to do with Sora's moral code and his integrity rather than not liking you like that."

Kairi thought for a long moment, chewing slowly as she looked at the ceiling. "Now that you mention it, he did get kind of flustered when I asked."

"He probably thought you were offering him sex." Naminé shrugged. Kairi coughed violently.

"Naminé!"

"I'm just saying!"

"I like him, but I don't want to sleep with him!"

"Yet." Naminé laughed at Kairi's deadpanned face. "Sorry. Too soon, I guess."

"I know I said not to judge me, but you could at least take me seriously." Kairi crossed her arms with a pout.

"I am, I am!" Naminé reassured. "It's just… it's funny seeing you like this. I've never seen it before."

"Well, it is a pretty big deal. Forgive me if I'm a little weird about it all. I don't want to work up the expectation of Sora asking me out only to be disappointed." Kairi whispered back.

"You know, you could always ask _him_ out. I think he likes you and is just unsure on whether or not you like him back." Naminé craned her neck and checked to make sure Sora was still unconscious. He was.

"How in the world could he be unsure if I just spent a whole night dancing with him? I could practically feel his—" Kairi snapped her mouth shut when her sister's eyes widened. "_Hands_."

"That is so dirty."

"I thought this was a judgment-free zone!"

"It is." Naminé was at a loss for words. What was she supposed to say? Good for you? Way to go? "I just don't know how to react to that."

"Too much information?"

"You're my sister. Some things are best left unsaid."

The girls ceased their conversation when Sora stretched on the couch. They watched him closely, entertained when he fell onto the floor with a thud. He still seemed to be asleep though.

"How does he do it?" Kairi asked with an adoring smile.

"I feel that's a more dangerous trait than one that deserves adoration." Naminé muttered before she realized what she said. Fortunately, Kairi didn't seem to hear.

"I'm going to take a shower. I probably look like a mess." Kairi got up from the table, quietly tucking the chair under it. "Thanks for talking with me, Nam. I think… I think I know what to do now that I got all of that out of my system."

The blonde smiled. "Anytime, Kairi."

"I think you should wake him up in a couple minutes." Kairi looked at Sora. "He needs to call his parents and let them know he slept over."

"Roxas probably handled that." Naminé thought to herself. She didn't notice she actually said it.

"Oh. Right. Well, he should probably call and let them know he's still alive then. They might still be worried." With that, Kairi returned to her room, leaving Naminé's line of sight.

After staring at him for a couple more seconds, Naminé hauled herself out of place and walked over to Sora. He was rather adorable; the blonde was even hesitant to wake him. But she didn't know whether or not he had something to do today. Maybe he needed to be up. It didn't hurt to check.

"Hey… Sora, wakey wakey." Naminé gently nudged him.

He grabbed a clump of blanket in his sleep. "You already know what I like, Roxas. And Kairi wants the jelly-filled ones. Don't forget those."

Naminé giggled to herself. She had wondered how Roxas knew to get a few jelly doughnuts. Mystery solved. "Sora, it's me. Naminé. Your brother already came back with the food." Sora whined, his eyes still closed as he turned away from the girl standing over him. Naminé gave him a more forceful shake. "Come on, Sora. Kairi said to wake you up."

"Ngh, Kairi?"

"Naminé, actually. But Kairi said to wake you up." Naminé watched Sora slowly wake up. His cerulean eyes locked on hers.

"Hmm? Naminé?"

"Hey, Sora. Good morning."

"What time is it?" The brunet buried his face into the covers he managed to drag onto the floor with him. "Is this the floor? How'd I get on the floor?"

"You fell." Naminé shrugged. 'And you also slept right through it."

Sora pushed himself up into a sitting position, tiredly looking around the room. He noticed he was shirtless, but still wearing the dress pants from last night. He quickly looked at Naminé as memories flooded back to him. "Naminé, are you okay? We got back last night and—"

"I'm fine, Sora. Roxas handled things, and Kairi already asked. I'd appreciate it if we never spoke about it though. Can we do that?"

"Yeah, we can do that. I was just worried." Sora stood to his full height and stretched his arms. Naminé looked away from him as his muscles flexed. She didn't remember him looking like that a year ago.

"Your brother brought you a change of clothes from your house. And there's also food on the table." Naminé walked back to the kitchen, taking her trash from the table as she passed.

"Where is everyone? Are they all awake?" Sora hobbled tiredly to the table and let out a long yawn.

"Kairi's in the shower right now. Your brother actually left for work about five, maybe ten minutes ago. He took the car." Naminé briefed Sora with the details.

"Oh. I kinda needed that to get home."

"You can take mine, if you want. "

"Are you sure? You won't need it?"

"Hmm… nope." Naminé shrugged. "I don't really like driving."

* * *

><p>"You sure had an eventful night, didn't you?"<p>

"I could say the same about you, Hayner."

"Never mind that. How did it feel?" Hayner spun around on an office chair, waiting for Roxas to enclose the details of the previous night. The two boys were currently on break from their jobs, and Hayner insisted they spend it in the back room to talk. Hayner was a little too eager to hear about how Roxas decked a certain person he wasn't that fond of.

"It felt pretty good. I made sure to add a little strength to it just for you." Roxas answered. Hayner smiled at him.

"I heard he was knocked unconscious. And what happened to you afterward?"

"I was kicked out."

"What? But that was entirely self-defense!"

"Rules are rules, boys." Olette walked into the room, popping a small container into the microwave. "Are both of you okay, Roxas? How's Naminé doing?"

"Yeah, is she okay after all of that?" Hayner stuffed a handful of potato chips into his mouth.

Roxas kept his gaze focused on the wall. "She seemed… okay. I didn't really talk to her much. But when I did try to bring it up, she seemed to brush it away."

"Aww, that's a shame. I hope she's handling it well." Olette held a napkin in front of Hayner's face. He followed the silent command and wiped his hands. Olette continued, "You did more than break his nose, you know. I get the feeling that nobody at school will take him seriously anymore. He'll be on the receiving end of a lot of jokes. I'm almost sure of that."

"Well look at that," Hayner smiled, "damaged face, damaged ego, and damaged reputation. That must've been one hell of a punch, Roxas."

"You're lucky he's not pressing charges. I mean, not saying what he did wasn't wrong, but you get the point." Olette dropped into the seat next to Hayner with her warmed food. "Want some?"

Hayner leaned over and kissed Olette on the cheek. "I'm good. Thanks for offering though."

Roxas rolled his eyes. His friends had "secretly" been dating for the past couple months. It didn't really bother him that they dated; rather, it was the fact that they thought nobody noticed. What was the point of hiding a relationship anyway? Roxas brushed the thought aside, thinking about Naminé again. As far as he knew, Seifer was lucky to receive only one punch. Nobody deserved to get away scot-free after doing something like that. Especially to one of his friends.

The thought struck a chord in him. Did he even consider Naminé a friend?

"You seem different today. I thought you'd be a little more chipper." Hayner observed his male companion. "If I knocked Seifer out like you did, I'd be up in the clouds."

"I'm fine, Hayner. I've just got a lot to think about." Roxas shrugged. "I think I'm going to go back to work. Don't really need a break."

"Already?" Olette asked as she wiped her mouth clean of tomato sauce. "We already had a few adoptions. Things have slowed down since this morning."

Roxas shook his head. "That's fine. I just… I need something to do." With that, Roxas silently left the couple alone to eat their snacks.

"So… wanna hit the janitor's closet again?" Hayner asked Olette with a suggestive smile.

"That was a one-time thing, Hayner."

"Yeah, _was_. We can make a tradition out of it."

"That's so unprofessional."

"Yeah, you said that last time." Hayner snickered when Olette rolled her eyes.

"Hayner?"

"Is that a yes?"

"Stop talking and eat your food."

* * *

><p>Sora liked the cars that Kairi's father had bought for his daughters. Though, the fact that he was allowed to drive brand new cars probably had a lot to do with it too.<p>

He arrived at Riku's house close to noon. Riku lived in a more rural area of Destiny Islands, one of the few parts where the residents had larger estates. Being a part of a rather affluent family, Riku was lucky to be one of the few people with a larger house and even more land.

Still, Sora was surprised to find many cars lining Riku's driveway. He assumed it had something to do with the after-party Riku mentioned the previous night. For obvious reasons, he and Kairi chose not to attend.

Like always, Riku's front door was unlocked. Sora quietly stepped inside, smirking at the sight of red cups placed all over the room. There was no sign of anybody, save for a few noises coming from the kitchen. Sora followed the sounds, passing the living room and family room along the way.

Riku was in the kitchen, a towel draped around his shoulders as he searched through his refrigerator. He noticed Sora enter. "Hey." He greeted with a nod.

"Hey, Riku." Sora greeted back and sat at one of the high chairs that lined the island table. "Just get done with your morning swim?"

"Of course. My schedule was thrown off since I woke up about two hours ago, but you gotta stick to the routine." Riku filled a large bowl with cereal. "You eat yet?"

"Yeah, at Kairi's place." Sora looked around the room. "Looks like you had fun last night."

"Yup. A couple people are still asleep upstairs, but I'm kicking everyone out in an hour. It would have been more fun if you and Kairi came, but I understand. How's Naminé doing?"

"She's fine. I didn't get to ask until this morning since she was asleep when we got home. She didn't want to talk about it though. I think it's just her way of coping."

"I see." Riku chewed his cereal, the loud crunches audible in the otherwise silent house. "So you wanted to talk about Kairi, right?"

Sora blinked before nodding, remembering that he had sent a text Riku's way before arriving. "Y-Yeah. It's about last night."

"Something happen between you two?" Riku looked up at him as he peeled a banana.

"Sort of. She asked if I wanted to sleep with her. Like, share a bed. Not… that." Sora scratched the back of his head.

"What did you say?"

"I declined, of course."

"So what's the problem here?"

"How can you not see it?" Sora was flabbergasted. He thought it was obvious. "If Kairi really did like me, like you say she does, then why did she ask me that?"

"Maybe she was horny after a night of dirty dancing."

"Riku!" Sora's face reddened, both out of mortification and anger that he'd suggest that about Kairi. "Would you ask a girl you like to share a bed with you?"

"Probably not. I mean I'm confident and all, but I don't want to scare her off." Riku rubbed his chin in thought.

"See? If _you _wouldn't even do that, then why would Kairi? The obvious answer is that she still thinks I'm a child— don't make that face at me!" Sora scolded his best friend's skeptical glance, "She just sees the guy who's been her best friend."

"So you're mad because she's sees Sora the Best Friend instead of Sora the Sexy Beast?" Riku asked for clarification.

"Not exactly… but something like that, I guess…" Sora hid his face in his arms, his nose touching the cold granite of Riku's tabletop.

"Dating for guys is different than it is for girls, Sora." Riku finished the banana he was eating and began spreading peanut butter on a slice of bread. "Mainly because guys typically do the courting. The girls get to mess with us."

"Your point?"

"My point is that it's different for girls and it's wrong to base your opinions on what we, as guys, would do. I'm not saying that guys and girls are different; I think they're pretty similar in a lot of ways. But I _am_ saying that there's a huge difference between those who woo," Riku picked up another piece of bread and began to spread jelly on it, "and those who are being wooed."

"So you're saying?" Sora allowed the question to linger, waiting for an answer.

Riku slapped his sandwich together before replying. "I'm saying that just because I wouldn't ask a girl to sleep in the same bed as me doesn't mean Kairi would do it for the same reasons."

"So Kairi's question was innocent and I still have a chance?"

"Precisely."

Sora mulled over Riku's sage-like advice. He found that his best friend was the go-to guy when it came to Sora's girl troubles— namely, Sora's Kairi troubles— upon realizing how awesome the opposite sex actually was. Interestingly, Riku had never dated anyone himself. He just happened to know a lot about girls somehow.

"I still find that hard to believe."

Riku rolled his eyes. "Weren't you the one to tell me yesterday that Kairi tore your head off for being such a man whore?"

"I am not!"

"And didn't I tell you that I attended Girls Day?"

"I'm honestly having a lot of trouble interpreting the reason why you were there."

"So tell me," Riku lightly shoved Sora for teasing him, "why would Kairi get so angry at the fact that you kissed so many girls if she didn't care?"

"Because she was worried?"

"Because she likes you, stupid." Riku finished his sandwich and picked up an apple from a nearby fruit bowl. He turned around to prepare a bowl of oatmeal as well. "Why are you so intent on denying this simple fact? She likes you, Sora. Kairi is romantically interested in you. Does it matter if it's Sora the Sexy Beast? No, because chances are Kairi fell for Sora the Best Friend. All this time you've unknowingly drawn Kairi to you. All you have to do now is… well, I don't know what it's called after you reel a fish in. Net her, I guess?"

"That sounds rape-tastic."

"It does, doesn't it?" Riku agreed with a nod, a disturbed expression on his face. "What I'm trying to say is this: you have very strong evidence that Kairi likes you. You like Kairi. Therefore, you should ask Kairi out."

"But—"

"But nothing, Sora!" Riku put a mug of water in the microwave and set a timer. "Why are you having so much trouble accepting this?"

"Because of you!" Sora squeezed his hands into fists as he said it. He couldn't meet Riku's surprised eyes. "I can't get past the fact that you're Kairi's best friend too. And not only that, but you're better than me at… everything. You always win. You get better grades, you're better at sports; you have everything a girl could possibly want in a guy!" Sora lowered his voice. "Why would Kairi like me over you?"

"Sora…" Riku's expression softened. "If anyone's to be jealous, it's me." Sora looked up, completely bewildered by the claim. "I wish I was more like you sometimes. I think I see what Kairi sees. I guess it's easier for us since we're your friends, but you really need only one thing to set you apart from every other boy in the world. It distinguishes you from our friends, your brother, your teammates… and even your best friend."

"Riku?" Sora sat up as the silver-haired boy walked up to him.

"I think Kairi's wanted it ever since she met you, even if she didn't really know it back then. Funnily enough, I think she's had it the whole time."

"Riku…" Sora turned in his chair to face the older boy. "What's so special about me that Kairi could possibly like?"

Riku laughed. He tapped Sora lightly on the chest, indicating his heart. "This."

Sora looked down, a little confused. "This?"

"Yeah." Riku nodded. "It's actually more obvious than you think."

Sora smiled.

"I think… I think I just threw up a little in my mouth."

Both boys were silent for a while before Riku's shoulders slumped with a groan. With an annoyed expression, Riku turned to the newcomer, obviously ticked. "Really, Xion? Really? We're trying to have a bromantic moment here."

"Is that why you touched his nipple?"

"I tapped his heart, Xion."

"Feeling his boob, perhaps?"

"His heart." Riku asserted. He looked at Sora. "Where were we?"

"I don't remember. Let's reestablish eye contact and see if we can pick it up." The two boys once again fell silent as they stared straight into each other's eyes. Xion merely tapped her fingers against her cheek, her face screaming 'what the hell is going on' as she looked around the room.

"Sora?"

"Yeah?"

"Do you think we lost it?"

"…Yeah. I'm not feeling anything."

"Me neither." The two friends broke away with sighs. Riku turned to the culprit. "Thanks. I hope you're happy now. Gotta crush a bromance when you see one, don't you?"

"Please. Axel and Roxas are enough to deal with. I don't need you guys going soft on me too." Xion rolled her eyes before smiling at Sora. "Good morning! Or afternoon. Whatever."

"Morning, Xion. Did you sleep here too?"

"Yeah. I was doing pretty well until I walked in on the love fest."

Sora and Riku merely looked at each other and laughed. "Bromance!" They cheered with a fist bump.

"Gross." Xion walked over to Riku, placing her hand on his arm. "How long have you been up?"

"A while. I'm in the process of refueling."

"Is that your excuse for eating so much?"

Riku laughed, attempting to tickle Xion's sides as he walked by her. She dodged. "Let's see you swim like I do and then say you're not hungry."

Sora couldn't help but stare at how the two acted; Xion especially. He was quite sure that Roxas had a crush on her. He suddenly found himself torn over something. If his brother liked Xion, then this certainly wouldn't boil over well with him. But did Riku like Xion too? It seemed to be the case. Sora stared at the odd couple with wide eyes: did his loyalties lie with his brother or his best friend?

"Sora? Are you all right?" Xion waved a hand in front of him.

"He's fine. Probably thinking about Kairi, is all." Riku laughed as he dug into his oatmeal.

Sora had to find out the truth. He didn't know how he was going to use it after finding out, but the question had to be asked. "Are you two… an item now or something?"

Xion and Riku paused before erupting in laughter. Sora felt his face grow warm, feeling as if he had embarrassed himself with such a question.

"To answer your question, Sora," Xion gasped, "No. We're not dating."

"Not yet, at least. Xion's being a real hard ass about it." Riku dodged a smack with ease.

"Well what about Roxas?" Sora heard himself ask; it was far too abrupt. He'd have to ask what Riku meant later.

"What about him?" Xion asked with a smile. "He's being the typical best friend, acting all jealous for me. I think he's subconsciously filling that stereotype."

"So he's not jealous because he likes you?" Sora asked slowly. The brunet turned his head as he did so.

"Ew. Oh… oh gosh." Xion grimaced. "Oh no. Your brother and I aren't like that, Sora. I thought you knew us better than that! We're best friends!"

"So you and Roxas don't like each other?" Sora was growing more confused by the second.

"Well of course we do! We're best friends. Like you and Kairi."

"What? How? But…"

"Oh. Xion, don't make that comparison. That's not the same."

"Why not?"

"Because Sora likes Kairi and Kairi likes Sora. It's a mess if you compare yourselves."

"I'm so confused!" Sora cradled his head in his hands.

"_Oh_." Xion drawled. "I get it now! Sora, Roxas and I are platonic best friends. Like you and Riku, but less gay."

"There you go again, ripping on the bromance…"

"Roxas and I aren't like that, Sora." Xion gently grabbed the brunet's shoulder. "We're best friends. That's it. And as hard as it is to believe, I actually don't have romantic feelings for Roxas. And you can ask him yourself: he feels the same way about me."

Sora nodded, finally comprehending his brother's confusing friendship and the love triangle that almost-existed-but-never-really-did. "Okay. Okay, I think I get it now."

"You are awful at explaining things to him." Riku teased. Xion shrugged innocently.

"Should've filled me in on this thing about Kairi." Xion took the seat next to Sora, a familiar glint in her eye. "Mind filling me in now? I've got time."

Sora never got the chance to ask his other question: what was the status of Riku and Xion's relationship?

* * *

><p>Roxas pressed his finger to the doorbell of Naminé's house, inexplicably nervous. Having just gotten off work, he returned to the house to pick his brother up. He couldn't help but pray that Kairi would be the one to open the door.<p>

Naminé answered instead.

"H-Hey." Roxas awkwardly waved. He redirected his attention to his shoes.

"Hi." Naminé's actions were similar. "Uh, do you want to come in?"

Roxas stepped into the house. "Is my uh… is Sora here? I came to pick him up."

"He actually left a while ago. I told him he could take my car, so he drove off and promised he'd bring it back by tomorrow morning."

"Oh." Roxas suddenly felt out of place. His whole body seemed to heat up. He tried to look at Naminé's face, but quickly looked away.

"You're welcomed to stay for a while, though. Only if you want to. You can…" Naminé trailed off when Roxas looked up at her.

"I can't. My parents want me and Sora to prepare dinner tonight. I-I've still got to get the groceries."

Naminé quelled the disappointment that mysteriously stung her chest. "O-Oh. That's okay too."

Roxas felt his heart pounding rapidly in his chest. And suddenly it was like he wasn't in control anymore. _Don't do it. Don't do it. Don't do—_

"But you and Kairi can come to dinner at our place if you'd like. Axel and Xion are going to be there, so…"

Naminé's eyes widened at the invitation. Roxas looked at her in anticipation. "M-Maybe next time. Kairi and I decided it'd be best to stay in for the day. I'd rather not leave the house for now…"

Roxas felt something drop inside him. He smiled weakly. "That's cool. Maybe next time then."

A thick silence enveloped them, almost to the point of suffocation. Neither of them knew what to say to the other. It was so different now. They were… strangers.

"I think—"

"I have—"

Roxas and Naminé spoke up simultaneously. At Roxas's gesture, Naminé went first. "I have your friend's coat. The one from last night. I think you're more likely to see him than I am, so do you mind if I give it to you?"

"No. No!" Roxas said with a little more volume. "Not at all."

After another awkward exchange, Naminé walked to her room and came back with the large jacket. Roxas took it, draping it over his arm.

"Uh, what were you going to say earlier?" Naminé wrapped her arms around her body.

"I think I should head out now." Roxas pointed to the door with his thumb. "Got a lot of stuff to do."

"Yeah, I understand." Naminé followed Roxas to the door, unlocking it and opening it for him. "Thanks for taking the jacket."

Roxas smiled at her. A small stutter in her heart stole Naminé's breath for a moment. "Yeah. No problem. I'll… I'll see you later."

Naminé smiled back. "Yeah. B-Bye."

When Roxas returned home, he noticed Naminé's car— the one Sora had taken— and Xion's car taking up the driveway. He was forced to park the car on the side of the street and had to carry the groceries in from a distance.

There was no sign of anyone downstairs, So Roxas headed up. He heard Axel and Xion laughing over something and walked in on them using his computer.

"What's so funny?" He asked his best friends slowly. Their mischievous smiles betrayed only the fact that they did something stupid.

"Nothing. Just playing around on your computer." Xion smiled innocently. Axel doubled over as he tried to contain his laughter.

"What did you do?" Roxas growled and pushed the two out of the way. His eyes scanned the computer screen in confusion. "What in the _world_ is this?"

Axel and Xion erupted in laughter, no longer able to restrain themselves. Roxas had to sit through at least a minute of nonstop laughter before Axel was able to explain.

"Well we got bored waiting for you to get home, so we went on your computer to mess around. Unfortunately, you had to go and password-lock all your accounts. Hacking was out of the question."

"Yeah, you didn't tell me you changed your password!" Xion tapped Roxas on the shoulder. He shrugged it off.

"I wonder why…"

"Anyway," Axel continued, "since we really couldn't do anything on the internet, we got the best idea ever."

"So Axel and I took it upon ourselves to rename all your folders! Thank goodness you're so disgustingly organized. It made our job a lot easier."

Roxas stared at his computer screen in disbelief. How was he supposed to find anything now? He had spent such a long time organizing all of his files— schoolwork, photos, music, the like— and now they were all under strange names.

"Oh don't worry!" Axel patted Roxas on the back. "We wrote you a key. For starters, your schoolwork folder is now _love letters to my crush_. Your music folder is named _various animal mating calls_…"

"And my personal favorite," Xion continued with a giggle, "your folder of videos is labeled as _horse porn_."

"What the hell? Are you guys serious?"

Like the best friends they were, Xion and Axel burst out laughing as Roxas scrolled through his folders in horror.

"We were going to individually name all your albums and documents, but that would have been mean." Axel reasoned.

"And this isn't? You labeled my photo folder _penis galore!"_

"Ha! The exclamation point was my idea!" Xion fell on top of Axel, collapsing from near-asphyxiation. The blond groaned loudly, shoving his friends away so he could fall on his bed.

"You guys are such assholes." His insult was muffled by the pillow he pressed to his face. He felt his bed shake as another weight dropped on it. The giggles he heard let him know that it was not Axel he who was currently next to him on his bed.

"But we're you're best friends! It's what we do!" She attempted to pull the pillow from his face, but failed. "Oh come on! It's funny! Stop being so dramatic!"

"Look on the bright side, Roxas! At least we didn't write it in all caps." Axel teased, referring to the younger boy's comical and borderline extreme feelings toward writing text completely in capital letters.

Roxas removed the pillow from his face, a smile twitching at his lips as he sat up. "I can't believe you guys. I think I'm going to have to kill you."

"Psh. Says the guy with a file now named _101 reasons why fairies and unicorns actually exist._"

For the first time that day, Roxas laughed. It came out like a stutter at first before evolving to the point where his sides ached. The strange and heavy feeling that hung on Roxas all day seemed to be lifted; he felt lighter, happier, free. As the laughter died, he looked at the tall and lanky boy sitting on his computer chair and the obsidian-haired girl, lying on his bed like she owned it, and smiled at them.

"You guys are too much." Roxas shook his head.

"We're certainly more than you can handle." Xion giggled as she sat up. She leaned her head on his shoulder as she spoke, "I had a feeling you were down in the dumps when I asked if you needed a ride from work today."

"I wasn't really down. Just… thoughtful."

"Pensive."

"Yeah, that." Roxas nodded with Axel's suggested word.

"And why was that?" Axel slid the computer chair closer, stopping at the foot of the bed.

"I don't know. I had a really weird morning with Naminé, I guess." Roxas looked down at his laps, repeatedly flipping a pillow as he thought. "I didn't know how to react to her today. It was like I was talking to a stranger. Do you guys ever get that feeling? She's been around for so long, and suddenly I feel like I have no idea who she is. I don't know how to talk to her at all."

"So, Xion, does this mean you're winning?" Axel asked the female of the trio.

She closed her eyes, a substitute for shaking her head. "Not yet, but I think it's getting there. Roxas, maybe you should try talking to her like you used to. It'll be weird for more than just you two if you try to force a change in your… relationship with her."

"Xion, I'm going to be honest here and say that I have no idea what you're trying to say."

"That's fine." She adjusted her head on his shoulder. "You'll get it someday." She suddenly shot away from him like he had the plague. "Oh! I don't mean to steal the attention away from you, Roxas, but Axel, Sora, and I talked earlier. Two things."

"Go on…"

"The first thing is that we're having our annual paintball match in maybe a week or so. Sora, Riku, and Kairi against you, me, and Axel. You game?"

Roxas looked at his friends excitedly. "Of course I am!"

"Hell yeah! We got this!" Axel draped an arm over Roxas's shoulders, pulling him close and smacking his chest with his other hand. "This year is ours!"

"Guys, let's not." Xion reached across and separated the frowning boys. "And second, we came to the inescapable conclusion that your brother thinks I'm a slut."

"What?"

"It's true." Axel shrugged. "We all had this long talk on how Sora assumed that you liked Xion because Xion was dumb enough to compare yourselves to Sora and Kairi."

Roxas looked at Xion like it was the dumbest thing she had ever done.

"What?" Xion asked defensively. "I meant that in the way that a boy and girl can be best friends without the boy wanting to sharpen his pencil with her!"

"Ugh, Xion!" Roxas clawed his own face as a horrifying visual of his brother and Kairi came to mind. "Why would you say that?"

"I am ninety-nine percent sure I will never be able to use a pencil sharpener ever again, much less look at it the same way." Axel said matter-of-factly. "In fact, I'm pretty sure I've lost all desire to ever have sex. That just sounds painful."

"Oh— why? _Why?"_ Roxas shuddered as _another_ disgusting visual of his best friend and accompanying love interest cropped up as well.

"We're getting off-topic here!" Xion yelled in frustration. "Point is, your brother thought that we were an item and I was whoring it up with Riku on the side."

"Why in the world would he assume that?" Roxas whimpered as his mind finally cleared.

"Well he assumed I was getting it on with Riku because I slept over there last night." Roxas whipped his head up to glare at Xion. "And then there's that: you and your reactions to anything that involves another boy that isn't Axel, Zexion, Demyx, or you."

"You slept over at Riku's?"

"To be fair," Axel interrupted. He sensed an argument was about to erupt between his two best friends. "I think Sora had some ground. He mentioned earlier that he walked in on you guys having an intimate moment before you guys came to Club Spades. That, and Roxas allows you to interrupt undie time."

"So? Roxas allows you to interrupt undie time too!"

"If I were to be honest, _neither_ of you are technically allowed to interrupt undie time. You just do it."

"Well fine," Axel crossed his arms. He knew he had to adopt the role of devil's advocate so Sora's claims didn't seem so farfetched. "But come on, Xion. I can see where he's coming from. He said you help Roxas dress up and everything. Best friends don't normally do that. Sora and Kairi don't."

"That's because Sora and Kairi don't want to help each other dress, but _un_dress. Sorry, Roxas." Xion replied to the look of revulsion on Roxas's face.

"Yeah, but best friends typically aren't as close as you guys. Sure, I'm five years older than both of you, but I'm your best friend too, Xion. I don't see you stopping by my place and picking out things for me to wear or styling my hair." Axel paused. "Wow. Why does everything I say sound so bad?"

"I don't know…" Xion said slowly. "All I got out of that was this vibe that you wanted me to come over your house too and get you ready for parties…"

"I don't like this conversation…" Roxas whined.

"You know what? I blame Sora. Sora's opened up a can of awkwardness in our circle with this whole mess. I'm done defending him." Axel threw his arms up in defeat. As the group finally grew quiet, Roxas's alarm clock went off, loudly ringing an obnoxious noise. Xion quickly turned it off.

"What was that for?" Roxas was sure he didn't set that.

"That's our cue to wake your brother up from his daily nap." Xion hopped off the bed and stretched. "Have you forgotten? You guys have to cook for us tonight!"

"I'll wake him up." Axel volunteered as he got up. "Xion, you should probably follow Roxas. He'll take you back to where you belong: the kitchen!"

"Ooooh!"

"Boom!" Axel and Roxas roared in laughter, high-fiving each other repeatedly.

Xion gave both of them hard shoves, ignoring their celebration, and headed to Sora's room.

She mumbled under her breath after slamming the door to Roxas's room. "I freaking hate bromances."

* * *

><p><strong>Redeeming Endeavor<strong>:There was a point where the subcriptions and the favorites matched in number, but alas, it was only an ephemeral existence... still, thank you so much!

To **Serena Scarlet, typewrite, Lupus7, ResoluteResolve, Stonekipsta, Allied Forces, .Color, Draco Oblivion, GoldPhantom and z-eion, Ken Giovanni, PEANUT v1.2, sora93kairi, Naivette, Dreamer-Tsuki, chibixbabe, Maskedgirl3, YAYAY317, Ash09, Gear001, Shire Folk, ChocoIsu, 0Wishful-Thoughts0, spadejackspade, roxasXnamine-ftw, Handwritten, Seddie AnD Teen Wolf, Spellbound a.k.a soragirl4ever, TAG, elspoek1, akemithebazookagirl, Alecdot, Claymore Person, Pink Star Art, unpatient person, BruHaeven, **and **Chibi McFu**: thank you so much for your inspiring, helpful, and wonderful words. It really makes me feel good to know that I'm writing something that so many people are enjoying. Thank you.

Chapter Data- Word Count: 8,284. Total Editing Time: 562 minutes.

Harmless Author Fact #8: I was about to tell you guys my cartoon crush (pulling a page from a particular reviewer :-D), but this one also came to mind: I absolutely LOVE dogs. All dogs. Love them.

Thanks again, and I hope you all enjoyed. Take care, readers, and I'll see you around!


	9. Bonding

Chapter 9: Bonding

"Those two are really starting to worry me."

Sora smiled sympathetically at his best friend as they walked down The Boardwalk, one of few piers that lined the coasts of Destiny Islands. The two had come to eat at one of the restaurants after a day of boredom.

"They're just in a rut right now. I'm sure they'll figure things out." Sora said confidently.

"Yeah, but I kind of miss the days when they fought. At least they talked to each other. Now it's like there's a giant elephant in the room every time the two are together. It's so… uncomfortable."

Sora took hold of Kairi's hand as they walked through a huge crowd of people. He guided her through, making sure to walk in front of her to clear her path. He didn't release his hold, even when she was finally able to walk by his side again. "Well at least we know there won't be any problems when we get back. I won't have to protect my brother; you won't have to play the role of a mother…"

"I guess that's true…" Kairi mumbled. They reached the seafood restaurant they came for; Kairi released Sora's hand so he could ask the hostess for a table. He returned seconds later with a square device.

"It's another twenty minutes. Sorry, I probably should have made a reservation." He scratched the back of his head, an apologetic look on his face.

"Sora, don't worry about it." She smiled at him, easily lifting his mood. "Come on. We have some time to kill."

The pair walked to the edge of the pier, overlooking the beach below. The sun hung above the water, reflecting off the moving surface of the water. Like most summer days, it wouldn't set until a couple hours, extending the amount of daylight for the Islanders. The two leaned on the wooden railing of the pier, staring out into the sea.

Kairi closed her eyes as she felt the warmth of the sunbeams. The breeze carried the smell of sea salt, a wonderful reminder of where she was. The scent was nowhere to be found at her current home of Radiant Garden, and in the place of the rhythmic waves was a buzz of life and motion. Radiant Garden was a beautiful city, but Kairi had grown up here. Destiny Islands had been her home for the first thirteen years of her life. She had always resolved to return here one day, whether it was for college or a future job.

"Kairi, what do you think about Roxas and Xion?" Sora asked quietly. Kairi opened her eyes and looked to her best friend.

"Individually or together?"

"Together."

"They remind me of us." She replied instantly. Sora laid his arms on the railing, leaning most of his weight on it as he listened to Kairi. "They're together all the time. They laugh so easily with each other. They have a genuine friendship."

Sora nodded slowly. "Do you think Roxas likes Xion and vice versa?"

Kairi giggled, her eyes meeting Sora's deep blue gaze. "You know my thoughts on Roxas."

Sora grinned. "You _still_ think he likes your sister?"

"I always have, and I always will. Sure, it makes me look stupid for thinking that when they fight, but… but I always thought there was something underneath that. A playground-crush of sorts."

"We're not six anymore, Kairi." Sora chuckled. "But I respect your opinion. I think you're the only one who thinks so."

"Can't say I blame you all for thinking the opposite. If you look at it from the outside, Roxas and Namine look like they're enemies."

"Aren't they?"

"On the outside. But I think they just don't know how to handle each other. Namine never told me why she and Roxas always fought— she said he hated her from the start."

"Roxas never told me anything about why they're so mean either."

"It's really the only way they communicate. If you look at them now, they have nothing to say. It's like they don't know how to react, now that Namine can't be mean to Roxas. And Roxas probably feels inclined to be nice to Namine."

"It's a vicious cycle." Sora said with a chuckle.

"Indeed."

"That just makes me wonder how you're still able to believe that Roxas likes Naminé in that sense. When Xion and Roxas fight, they get over it really quickly. They're so… I don't know. They understand each other. They know each other so well."

"You think Roxas likes Xion?" Kairi raised a brow.

"Well I did. And they say that it's totally platonic, but the way they act around each other makes me doubt everything. My mom thinks they like each other too. I suppose from her impressions, they're dating. They always go to dances together for school and Xion's over all the time. All the signs point to a positive result."

"That's understandable, I suppose. But were you romantically interested in the girls you went to dances with? And what about the girls that you brought over?" Kairi asked.

Sora shook his head. "I always flew solo, if you catch my drift. And I can't believe you would even suggest I bring girls to my house." Kairi giggled at Sora's goofy yet charming smile. "I wasn't going to risk the chance of hurting someone. I don't want to be the guy to mislead others, so I always politely declined dates. I wasn't going to go with anyone if I didn't have a romantic interest in them. I know it's strange, but it's important to me."

"You're the kind of guy who wants only one dance partner." Kairi teased.

Sora tucked his hands behind his head as he stood straighter. "You know me too well." They allowed the seagulls to converse and the waves to leap for a while before Sora spoke up again. "So do you think that a boy and girl can be best friends without one of them ever falling for the other?"

"Certainly." Kairi nodded. "A best friendship can be shared between a girl and guy, just like it is between two guys and two girls. Like you and Riku," Kairi shrugged. "Sure, the dynamic between a girl and guy will be different, but it doesn't mean they're inevitably going to fall for each other."

Sora again rested his weight on the barrier. He was quiet for a long while before he took in a deep breath. His question was almost a whisper. "But they can, right?"

Kairi looked directly into Sora's eyes as he asked the question. A light blush spread across her cheeks. "Are you trying to tell me something, Sora?"

Sora reached over, enveloping Kairi's hand in his own. He grinned, a kind of gentleness apparent in his face. "Since when have I ever had to use words for you to know how I feel?"

Kairi felt a round of butterflies in her stomach, completely taken aback. The words struck her with such intensity that she felt a surge of emotion all at once. She pressed her lips together, an effort to prevent the upward curl of her lips and the happy tears that formed in her eyes.

She giggled, holding Sora's hand with both of her own. Kairi answered his question with a giggle. "Never. But still, you always know exactly what to say to me. You always have the right words when you need them." She looked up at him again, her expression softened. She moved closer to him so that their shoulders were touching. "Naminé always told me that being best friends is not a dead end, but a step forward. I used to think she was wrong, but I think I'm finally starting to understand what she meant."

"And what might that be?" Sora asked softly.

"That being in the best friend zone is a good thing if it's the right person." Kairi lightly squeezed Sora's hand. "I used to think that was all we'd ever be."

It was Sora's turn to blush. "Are you trying to tell me something, Kairi?"

Kairi looked him in the eyes before leaning forward. She placed a kiss on his cheek, pulling away with a giggle. "Since when have I ever had to use words for you to know how I feel?"

Sora almost fainted. At that moment, he realized just how lucky he was to have the most beautiful girl he had ever laid his eyes upon right there next to him. He was never so sure of anything in his life: he was completely in love with his best friend.

And he knew that she felt the same way.

Before anything else could be said, Sora's phone beeped loudly in his pocket. The loud text message signal interrupted Sora's epiphany. Though untimely, Kairi released Sora's hand with a permissive nod. He pulled his phone out and read the message to Kairi. "It's from Roxas. He says he and Naminé are on their way to get food, so we shouldn't come home in the next half hour."

"That's fine." Kairi smiled. "I was hoping we could stay here for a while after we finished eating."

"Of course!" Sora immediately agreed. He picked up the device given to him by the hostess. "If this thing goes off in the next couple minutes, we'll be able to catch the sunset."

Kairi faced the ocean again, shielding her eyes from the sun. The height it was currently at was an inconvenience. It made looking out to see much harder, kind of like the glare cast on drivers if they drove in that direction.

She froze. "Sora, did you say that Roxas and Naminé had already left the house?"

"Yeah, they were already on their way. Why?"

"Does Roxas text while driving?"

Sora shook his head. "Definitely not. He flips out if I even have my phone in my lap."

Kairi bit her lip. "What would you say the chances of Naminé driving are?"

Sora shrugged. "They probably took her car, since that's the only one there. I don't see why Roxas would drive, especially since the owner is there."

Kairi groaned. In the current state that Roxas and Naminé were in, that made it even more likely. Naminé wasn't going to force Roxas to drive after what he did for her. "Oh no…"

Sora came closer to Kairi, worried that she might be feeling sick. "Something wrong?"

Kairi smiled weakly. "You're going to want to call your brother back in a couple minutes. Naminé isn't… let's just say she isn't the best of drivers."

* * *

><p>Roxas was probably going to die today.<p>

He definitely wasn't ready.

The poor boy's heart seized as the driver of the vehicle passed another stop sign. This was after he watched the side-view mirror miss the car next to it by mere centimeters. And after she nearly took out a biker as she made a right turn.

He tried to be nice about it. He suggested that she use all her mirrors. He told her about cars driving in her blind spots. He even managed to hold in four screams of pure terror. But the stop sign was the last straw. He couldn't do it anymore. So when the car (thankfully) came to a stop at the light, he unbuckled his seatbelt and unlocked the doors.

"Get out." He commanded before opening his door. After a moment of hesitation, Naminé listened. The car drifted forward. "Park it! Park it! Park!" Roxas screamed frantically, the pitch of his voice rising into a yelp. The driver shifted the gear into park.

"What are we doing?" Naminé asked as she passed Roxas. He didn't answer. They both got into the car and buckled in. Roxas immediately adjusted his seat and mirrors.

He appeared to be talking to himself. "I can't do it. I can't. I tried, and I can't. I was too timid, too nice. Why do my attempts to be kind always lead me to positions like these? I didn't say anything because that's the nice thing to do. Backseat driving is annoying and mean. But I almost died! What would Sora do if I died? Xion and Axel would be a mess. There's so much left to do. I can't die today. I still have to go sky diving. I still have to—"

"Roxas?" The girl was still confused as to why they switched seats. He was, after all, the one who insisted she drive. "What are you talking about?"

He turned to her, his eyes a little crazy before filling with anger. "Well _I'm_ trying to save our lives since _you_ seem so intent on getting us killed. It was like you were _trying_ to hit something out there!"

Naminé stared at the boy before narrowing her own eyes. Where did that come from? She immediately got defensive, thanks to that condescending tone of his. "I was not! And if you had a problem with my driving, then you should have told me! I would've _gladly_ given you the wheel! But no, somebody had to insist that I drive because it's my car."

"Well sorry for assuming that you were capable of driving. I'll also be sure to never assume that a guy with a guitar doesn't know how to play it."

"Well good! You'd be surprised to know the amount of guys who pretend to know how to play guitar just so they can get laid!"

"Yeah, you'd know about that, wouldn't you?" The car lurched forward as the light turned green.

Naminé crossed her arms. "Hmph! You call me a bad driver? At least I didn't put you in the hospital for whiplash."

"Oh, no you didn't. You almost sent me directly to the grave; more than once, in fact." Roxas gripped the steering wheel tighter. "Do you even realize how many times my life flashed before my eyes as I was sitting there? Hell, if I allowed you to drive any farther, we probably would have killed someone. And newsflash, stop signs outlined in white are _not_ optional!"

"That was a one-time thing! We were the only ones around, so what does it matter?"

"You also stopped in the middle of that four-way intersection. There were _cars_ there."

"I missed the stop sign and I thought I had to make up for it!

"And the biker. I thought he was going to be splattered all over the windshield."

"Please. We weren't going fast enough for that to happen. Besides, I stopped in time!"

"More like he stopped you! He lost his balance and had to push off the car! He wasn't flipping you off because you did him a favor, idiot."

"He was fine!" Naminé growled. They smoothly turned into a parking lot. "If you had such a problem with my driving, why didn't you say anything earlier?"

"I don't know, maybe because I was trying to be nice? When you nearly crashed the car into the wall of the garage because you thought the car was in reverse, I thought it was a silly mistake. Little did I know that I should've ran away screaming for my life!" Roxas turned the wheel, searching for a close parking spot.

"Well that's dumb! We all know you're incapable of being nice!"

"Oh don't give me that! I'm nice until someone threatens my life! You'll have to forgive me for valuing that. I know that's not a normal thing to do, wanting to be alive and all—"

"Here you go with the senseless and patronizing sarcasm…"

"— but my actions are more than justified! They're necessary." Roxas found a parking spot and easily pulled in. "You know, now that I think about it, I have no idea why I did that stuff. You're right. Trying to be friendly was probably the stupidest thing I've ever done!"

"Well I'm glad we're on the same page!" Naminé said loudly, her voice matching the volume of the driver's. "Who would want to be friends with you anyway?"

"Everyone, excluding those that want to kill me. You would, of course, fall under the latter category."

"I didn't want to kill you earlier, but I certainly would like to now!"

"Well what are you waiting for?" Roxas unbuckled his seatbelt. "Let's do it again! Come on, into the driver's seat you go!"

"Stop being such a wimp and get over it already." Naminé smirked when Roxas gaped.

"Wimp? Me? Let's see how you react in the passenger's seat if I drove as awfully as you did! Anyone with an ounce of intelligence would have been— ugh! Why are you so frustrating?"

"You're the one who's whining about my driving!"

Roxas wanted to rip his hair out. This girl was _unbelievable_. "To think I was trying to be friendly."

"Who said I wanted to be your friend?" Naminé spat. "And what's with that stupid smile? Is something funny?"

"Your driving skills. It's laughable." Roxas stared the girl straight in the face. "And you're calling my smile stupid? You're the one sitting there grinning like an idiot! Guess the maniac in you is finally coming out."

"No, I'm merely remembering how you screamed like _a little girl_ when we switched spots!" The blonde shot back. She plugged her nose and said in a shrilly voice, "Park it! Park it!"

Roxas snickered at the impression and retorted, "I can't believe you were about to get out of the car without parking it! Are you out of your mind?"

"No, but you certainly were!" Naminé giggled. "You were the one who told me to get out with no explanation whatsoever!"

"And it didn't occur to you that you should probably park the car?"

"Is that what good drivers do, Roxas? Park their cars at every light to switch seats?" By now, the two feuding blondes were fighting down smiles.

But the laughs finally erupted from both of them.

It must have been a strange sight to behold. A passerby would have seen two teens pull into a parking spot, obviously angry at each other. The two would scream at each other, animatedly waving their hands and arms about as they made fun of each other. And then, seemingly out of nowhere, they would laugh. And they'd laugh for a long while, unable to even construct a sentence.

The passerby would have to assume that both of the car occupants were insane.

Roxas didn't understand what was happening: all he knew was that he was actually having fun. He was having _fun_ and Axel and Xion weren't around. No, instead it was Naminé. He was having fun with _Naminé_.

Naminé couldn't wrap her mind around it either. She hadn't laughed this much since her luncheon with the girls. The last person she expected to be with when she cried from laughter was Roxas. She was smiling and laughing with _Roxas_.

As the laughs died down and the tears were wiped, the two friends— enemies, whatever they were— sat back in their seats. Both of them stared out the windshield, smiles tugging their lips in an upward curve.

Roxas was the first to speak. "What the hell are we doing?" He asked with a chuckle.

"We're… talking." Naminé shrugged in her seat. "That's the most we've said to each other in the past forty-eight hours."

"It was." Roxas nodded. "I guess the logical follow-up would be to ask what the hell is wrong with us."

"So, what the hell is wrong with us?" Naminé asked this time, turning to Roxas with a smile. He looked at her and smiled back, shrugging.

"We're either out of our minds, or we just don't know how to talk to each other like normal human beings."

"I'd like to think that we're sane, so can we go with the latter?"

"I think I'd prefer that as well." The two laughed again, sighing as everything sank in. "How did we end up like this?"

"A couple minutes ago you wanted to switch seats. Something about my driving got into that head of yours."

"Not that." Roxas lifted his hand, waving it between them. "This. We're talking now, in case you haven't noticed."

"I did actually, thanks." Naminé replied sarcastically. "I don't have an answer for that question. But I know one thing: this is a lot more comfortable than trying to be nice to you."

"Tell me about it." Roxas rolled his eyes. "I don't know why I even bothered trying to befriend you. That was so awkward and gross."

"Agreed." The two quieted again. The silence, however, was different. It was nothing like the suffocating or thick air that usually hung between them. It was actually bearable.

"What exactly did we come here for again?" Roxas scratched his head in embarrassment.

"I guess everything can't fit in that tiny brain of yours." Naminé joked. "We're here for food."

Roxas shook his head and got out of the car. Naminé did the same. "You know, I always thought you had an awful personality."

"Thank you." Naminé smiled and batted her eyes. "I think your hair makes you look like a girl."

"Are we having truth time now? Getting it out of our system?"

"While everything I say is true, I'm just having a lot of fun bashing you. You walk like a girl, by the way."

Roxas smirked, reaching the door of the restaurant. He held it open for her, but right before she could walk through, he cut in front of her and walked by himself. He laughed at her reaction. "You look like a man."

Naminé looked back at the door they went through before looking at him with a smirk. "You do things to make me doubt that you are one."

He laughed. "I can do this all day."

"That makes two of us."

* * *

><p>"Look, no hands. And I'm still driving better than you."<p>

"Oh shut up already. I was able to drive straight."

"Here comes a red light. I better wait until the last second before I hit the brakes. Gotta live life on the edge, you know. It's always better when you don't know if you're going to be able to stop in time."

"It's the same joke every time. I'm not even offended anymore."

Not a second passed between the two blondes without a trade of insults. From the moment they stepped out of the restaurant to the moment they were currently in— driving home, that is— the siblings of a much more amorous couple were unloading mercilessly on each other.

Neither of them seemed to be running out of bullets.

"Has anyone ever told you that your eyebrows look really girly?" Naminé asked as she stared at Roxas's face. He couldn't look back at her; he was concentrated on the road ahead.

"Has anyone ever told you that you don't have any? Female logic, of course, dictates that you get rid of them all and draw them in yourself. Makes sense, right?"

"Your ears are kind of big too. Good thing you have a big head. If only your brain was just as large."

"Are you really insulting my intelligence right now?" Roxas asked as he pulled into his driveway. "I am positively sure that I'm smarter than you in every aspect imaginable."

The two unbuckled their seatbelts and got out of the car. "You won't be able to say that so confidently after you hang out with me enough."

Roxas snorted, trailing behind Naminé as they approached the front door. "Who said I wanted to hang out with you?"

Naminé smirked confidently. "I knew you'd say that. Partly because you're a wimp, and partly because I know you can't take the heat."

"Trust me, Naminé. I'm not here with you out of choice. And I can definitely take your mindless insults all day." Roxas opened the door and held it open for her. "I'll demonstrate some proper manners to you." Naminé stepped inside. "Good. Now, back where you belong. The kitchen's straight ahead."

Naminé smacked his shoulder causing the boy to laugh. "You are never going to get a girlfriend."

"Not interested. Sorry." His eyes gleamed mirthfully before he turned around to go upstairs. Naminé stayed put, gaping.

"Um, hello? Where are you going?" Was he just going to leave her downstairs? What the hell was she supposed to do all day?

"Upstairs, of course. Why aren't you in the kitchen?" He chuckled when she rolled her eyes. "Well? What are you waiting for?"

Naminé raised a brow. "You want me to go upstairs?"

It was Roxas's turn to roll his eyes. "Right. How could I forget?" he walked back down the stairs and knelt at Naminé's feet, placing his palms flat on the floor and staring at the ground as if he was fearful to look at her. "Forgive my insolence, princess. I did not mean to imply that you walk up the stairs all _on your own_."

Naminé growled, shoving Roxas hard. He fell on his bottom, laughing loudly. "You are ridiculous. You know what I meant."

"Silly me!" Roxas lifted himself onto one knee, "I forgot that I'm not even worthy of being your lowly servant. At least allow me to be your horse so I can carry you up the long, endless flight of stairs— ow!"

Naminé pinched Roxas's cheeks and walked up the stairs in huff. "I'm not some spoiled brat, you know!" She didn't even wait for a retort and walked up the stairs. Roxas remained in place on the floor, smirking as the blonde left him behind. He blushed when he realized he was staring at her legs; the high-cut pair of shorts she was wearing revealed a lot. "Are you going to sit there all day?"

Roxas broke out of his trance to find Naminé glaring down at him. He stood up. "Nope. Just waiting for you to give me permission to move, is all."

She waited for him to pass her on the stairs, partly because she didn't know where she would go and partly because she wanted to glare at him as he caught up. When they reached the top, he led her to his room without ever looking back. She walked in, taking a good look around his room.

The fact that it was clean surprised her. Even more shocking, however, was the design and furniture. The walls resembled her art room, with only a single side— the one that his bed rested against— painted black. The rest of the walls were a bright white, contrasting the black dresser and furniture. A checker-patterned rug sat in the center of the room, pinned underneath the legs of the bed. The bedding appeared to be simple, with a large black comforter thrown over what were most likely all-white sheets and pillows.

She didn't expect the room to look so neat and polished.

"What are you standing around for?" Roxas interrupted her observations. He placed his wallet and cell phone on his desk.

"There are more colors in the world than black and white, you know." Naminé walked forward, now completely in the room.

"You're standing around because you're judging the color of my room?" Roxas smiled, pulling the rolling computer chair from under the desk and dropping into it. "I technically have all of them, if you think about it."

Naminé smiled. "I guess you do." She cautiously sat on his bed, sinking into it a little. It was comfortable. "The room is nice."

"Thanks."

"I'd rather look at it than you if I had the choice." The two blondes laughed. Neither had to say it out loud, but they knew complimenting each other in any way, shape, or form entailed that an insult had to follow or accompany. It was the only thing that felt normal to them now that they had no idea what to call each other. They weren't enemies anymore, that much was clear; but they had no word to define their current status.

They certainly wouldn't use _friend._ That was too nice. Perhaps that was exactly what they were, but they just too afraid to admit.

Perhaps they were in a stage in-between. It was too hard to define their relationship, so they didn't. All they knew was that they found some common ground, a way to interact in which they both agreed to because it was normal. And that was enough for them.

"Hey. While you're making yourself at home there, catch!" Roxas tossed a controller into Naminé's lap. She jumped out of surprise.

"Why did you give me this?" Naminé picked up the controller with two fingers, looking at it as if it were diseased.

Roxas snickered and turned on his TV. "We're going to play a little game to test who's more intelligent."

"And your knee-jerk reaction is to play video games?" Naminé put the controller down, a teasing smile on her face. "I think this contest is already over."

Roxas rolled next to the bed, eying the controller in her lap. She rolled her eyes and picked it up, unsure of how she should position her fingers. "It's not just any video game. It's a puzzle game with portals."

Naminé raised a brow. "You spent a ridiculous amount of money on a video game system to play puzzle games?" She laughed. "I think I'm racking up the points already."

Roxas shook his head as he started up the game. "You have no idea what you're talking about. Fine, I'll show you. Video games aren't entirely mind-numbing machines, you know."

"Oh, on the contrary." Naminé agreed with a nod. "Violent video games have been proven to make children more aggressive. That's hardly mind-numbing; it's brainwashing."

"You know," Roxas reached over to turn Naminé's controller on. "I think you've done too much reading and not enough playing. Here, you should probably learn the controls before we start." He handed her the game manual, tossing the case back onto his desk.

Naminé opened up the packet and looked at the control scheme. "If I quit, just know that I think that the game is boring and not because I can't solve the stupid puzzle."

Roxas laughed. "Of course. Let's get the excuses out now, please. We're about to prove something here tonight."

* * *

><p>He would have kissed her if his breath didn't smell like fried fish. Perhaps seafood wasn't the best idea.<p>

As luck would have it, Sora and Kairi managed to finish up a few minutes before sunset. Since most of the benches on the pier had been taken, the two walked down to sit in the sand to watch the sun dip behind the waves of the sea. A mix of oranges, pinks, and reds painted the sky as the sun slowly began to lower.

Sora was probably going to miss it. He couldn't stop looking at Kairi.

"We're supposed to be watching the sunset, Sora." Kairi reminded. She had most likely seen him staring through the corner of her eye since she hadn't torn her eyes away from the setting sun.

"I know." He said with a silly grin. "But I found something more interesting."

Kairi finally turned to look at him. "And it's apparently on my face."

"Well, it _is_ your face." Sora corrected. "I want to memorize this image I'm seeing right now. You don't understand how pretty you look during a sunset."

Kairi blushed, covering her face with a sandy hand. "Sora, stop…" she whined. "You're so embarrassing."

"Sorry, Kairi." Sora chuckled, scratching the back of his head. "I'm being honest though." He scooted closer to her, enough that their sides were touching. Kairi lowered her hand, relaxing at his touch.

She leaned her head on his shoulder. "You can look at me later. For now, can we watch the sunset together?"

Holding their weight up with one of his hands, he wrapped his free arm around Kairi's waist. "Yeah, I think we can do that."

Not a word passed between the two as they watched the final minutes of daylight slip behind the edge of the world. The sun seemed to move at its fastest when it reached the end; it slowly sank until it dipped its feet into the ocean; then it quickened, immersing itself in the water, the light from its body reaching higher into the sky as it disappeared.

"Another breathtaking sunset of Destiny Islands." Kairi murmured.

Sora nodded. "They're always beautiful to watch. I'm glad I had a watching buddy this time around."

"You watch it alone?"

"Yeah." Sora lightly ran his hand up and down Kairi's arm. "I always thought about you when I did. Where you live, you can only watch it rise from your coast, correct?"

"Yeah, unless you got on top of a really high building, the sun always fell behind walls and trees and hills." Kairi breathed in deeply, relishing Sora's touch.

"Then I'm glad you can watch them here."

Kairi wrapped her arms around Sora's body and hugged him. "I'm glad I could watch them with you."

Sora closed his eyes, wishing his heart would stop pounding so rapidly and loudly. Could Kairi hear it? Could she feel the way his body disobeyed him and reacted to her? "Me too." He whispered, gently pressing his lips to her head. They stayed like that for a long while, just the two of them. Neither wanted to be the one to break from the other.

So someone did it for them.

"Well what do we have here? My best friends ignoring my calls from the Boardwalk, it seems!"

Sora and Kairi turned around quickly, surprised to see Riku approaching them with his hands in his pockets. They both smiled at him.

"Sorry, we didn't hear you." Sora apologized. Riku sat on the opposite side of Kairi.

"I figured. I just wanted to see what you two were doing here at this time."

"Just enjoying each other's company. Right, Sora?" Kairi looked over at Sora, grinning mischievously.

"That's right!" Sora and Kairi turned to Riku. "So what about you? I hardly believe you're here alone."

"I'm not. Xion wanted to visit the pier for Twilight Hour."

"So you're winning her a bunch of prizes?" Kairi cooed, pinching Riku's cheek. "You're so adorable."

Riku swatted Kairi's hand away. "Kairi, don't embarrass me. And for your information, I haven't won a single toy. Xion's just using my wallet." He joked.

"I still get the feeling that you don't mind." Sora chimed.

"You'd be right."

"Hardcore parkour!"

The trio didn't even have time to process the words before a body launched itself over Riku's shoulders and fell onto the sand in front of them. They laughed as Xion rolled into a standing position, sand now all over her clothes and legs.

"That was a rather grand entrance." Kairi applauded the new arrival. Xion bowed.

"Thank you. I try to put on a show every once in a while."

"Well thanks for the warning. You could have hurt yourself." Riku crossed his arms.

"Sorry about that. I actually could've hurt you with a knee to your head." Xion gave him an apologetic pout.

The older boy shook his head. "I'm fine. Come for more money?"

"You know it. I saw this adorable panda plush that would look great in Roxas's room."

"Well I'm glad I'm buying you a chance to win something for Roxas." Riku rubbed his forehead with the back of his hand. "Whatever. They're all half-priced for the next half hour anyway. Knock yourself out."

Xion happily took the money— which actually was simple pocket change— and jumped excitedly. She turned to Kairi with wide eyes. "Come with me? I don't want to go alone!"

Kairi looked at Sora, who nodded in response. She stood up with Xion's help. "Lead me to it! This better be an awesome panda."

"It is. It's ginormous. It's epic." Xion probably went on and on about the stuffed animal as she and Kairi walked back to the Boardwalk. Riku and Sora were left by themselves, sitting contentedly in the sand. The sky was beginning to darken.

"So you two looked like you were having fun before I showed up." Riku turned to Sora. "I apologize if I interrupted you guys."

"You didn't." Sora said with a head shake. "We probably would've been there for a while if you hadn't showed up. You saved us some trouble."

"Good to know." Riku dug his hands into the sand, propping himself up with his arms.

"You were right, Riku. She does like me." A silly smile graced Sora's face as he stared at the ocean.

"When am I wrong?" Riku lightly punched Sora's shoulder. "Congratulations, Sora. I knew you had it in you."

"Thanks, Riku." Sora looked at his best friend with grateful eyes. "I couldn't have done it without someone to talk to."

"That's what I'm here for." They bumped fists. "So, are you two now…?"

"Happy?" Sora suggested the word to Riku's lingering question. "Definitely. As happy as I've ever been in my entire life."

Riku chuckled. "I guess that's all that really matters, isn't it?"

"Yeah." Sora knew he didn't give Riku the answer he was looking for, but somehow his best friend understood. The label wasn't important. The feelings were what truly mattered. "She was my first kiss, thanks to you."

"Hey, you were the gullible one!" Riku laughed at the memory. "And bold. When I think about that… ha! Nobody in their right mind would have done what you did. Not at that age, at least."

"Best kiss I ever had." Sora shrugged. "Who would have thought?"

"I'm sure you'd find that a kiss today would top that one."

"I agree. I'll just have to wait for the right moment: a time where my breath won't smell like fish."

"Good point." The boys laughed. Riku pulled out his vibrating phone from his pocket. "It's Xion. She just won the panda, and Kairi said that you guys should probably head out." He showed Sora the message. Sora nodded, hopping onto his feet.

"Guess we're heading out." Sora held a hand out for Riku, which was graciously accepted. Both of the boys wiped sand from their clothes. "What are you and Xion going to do?"

Riku started walking toward the pier. "Take advantage of the super cheap games and prizes, of course. I've got a whole night ahead of me. Don't you?" He nudged Sora suggestively.

"It's not like that…" Sora blushed, his pace quickening a little. They walked up the stairs, looking around for the girls. Sora spotted Kairi in the crowd, pointing in their general direction.

Riku laughed to see Xion lugging a giant panda in her arms. They met the girls halfway.

"Look! He's huge!" Xion giggled as she adjusted her hold on the stuffed animal.

"That's what she said. Sorry." Riku cringed when Kairi glared at him. "I heard you guys are heading back home."

"Yup. I feel obligated to save Roxas and Naminé from their own awkwardness." Kairi told Riku before turning to Sora. "You ready to go?"

"Of course." Sora waved to his friends as he took Kairi's hand. "I'll see you guys later!"

Riku nodded, stuffing his hands into his pockets. "Yeah. See ya." The two walked off, leaving Riku and Xion to enjoy their games. He turned to the shorter girl with a smile. "You should have given the panda to them. They could've delivered it to Roxas."

Xion shook her head. "I'll deliver it myself the next time I see him." She and Riku walked side by side, walking aimlessly. "So what do you really think, Riku?"

He breathed slowly. "My best friends are happy. I've never seen Sora _that_ happy in his life, and Kairi's never looked at anyone like she does at Sora. They're great for each other, right? I'd say that was a long time coming."

"You know them better than I do."

"My friends are happy, and that's all I need to know." Riku said with a nod.

Xion stared at him, wondering if he was putting a mask on again. "You are grossly perfect, Riku."

He laughed and draped his arm over Xion's shoulder. "That's the worst compliment I've ever received. Come on, let's run around a bit more. I imagine my best friends are going to want some time alone, so you're stuck with me now."

Xion shrugged out of his grasp, but locked her arm with his. "I guess I'll deal with it. Could be worse, right?"

* * *

><p>"Shoot your portal right there."<p>

"Already did."

"Good. Now wait for me to shine the laser in the right spot."

"No thanks. I'll jump into the spinning fan of doom and get crushed."

Roxas smirked at his partner's sarcasm. Nevertheless, he picked up a box with his character and adjusted the path of a laser that would allow them to pass. They watched as the giant blades stopped moving. "Okay. You're clear. Jump through your portal." Just as Naminé listened, Roxas released a button on his controller. The giant fan turned on before Naminé got through and after she had made the jump. Her poor robot character broke into pieces.

"Roxas!"

The boy howled in laughter as Naminé's character re-spawned. Naminé, on the other hand, was nowhere near as entertained. "Oh come on! It was funny! You totally didn't see that coming!"

"Funny for you!" Naminé growled. She found Roxas's character onscreen. "Give me the box. _You_ can jump through the death fan, and then we'll see who's laughing!"

"You can't have the box!" Roxas wheezed from laughing. "Only I can have the box!"

"Then give me your controller!"

"No!" Roxas protectively hugged the small remote in his arms.

"Roxas…" Naminé stood up from the bed and blocked Roxas's view from his computer chair. "Give me your controller." She ordered sternly.

"I already said no." Roxas said with a mischievous smile. "Go and get yours and you can make the jump again!"

"I want to control the box!" She attempted to snatch it from him, but he moved it out of her reach.

"It's mine, Naminé!" he Roxas kept his arms outstretched, passing the controller to the other when Naminé pinned one of his arms.

The blonde leaned forward, enough to kneel on the chair where Roxas's legs were parted. "Give it here!"

"No!"

* * *

><p>Sora and Kairi pulled into the driveway after a fun car ride that involved blasting the score from Disney's <em>Pirates of the Caribbean.<em> They weren't modest about it at all; every time they reached a stoplight, they'd leave their windows down and the volume high. They giggled like toddlers anytime someone gave them a funny look.

But they were honestly too happy to give a damn.

"It's settled. Pirate music makes driving more epic than anything."

"Even better than techno dance parties in the car?"

"Definitely better than a techno dance party." Kairi giggled. The two got out of the car and entered through the garage.

The house was eerily quiet when they entered. Almost all the lights were turned off, save for the one that lit the hallway between the kitchen and living room. Naminé and Roxas were nowhere in sight.

"Naminé? Roxas?" Sora called into the dark. Nobody answered. "Hmm. The car's here, but they don't seem to be. Maybe they went out. Guess they're not—"

A loud crash startled the pair. Kairi immediately clung to Sora's arm as she stared at the ceiling. "Upstairs!" she whispered frantically.

"Wait here." Sora quickly darted from Kairi, running straight upstairs. He knew it was probably stupid of him to run into potential danger, but he didn't care. If someone dangerous was in the house, he was pretty intent on taking care of it.

The only light on upstairs was in Roxas's room. He slowly approached it.

"Ugh…" Somebody groaned in pain. Sora's eyes widened. He dashed into the room, throwing the door open.

"Naminé?" He asked frantically. He froze at what he saw.

Roxas, on the other hand, slowly opened his eyes, a weight holding him down. He noticed Naminé hanging above him, holding her head where she hit it. Roxas felt a sharp pain on his forehead as well. When he tilted his head (a stupid reaction, since his eyes would never be able to see his forehead without a mirror) to look, he saw Sora standing at the doorway. Naminé went rigid as well.

Wait. Why did he feel that?

He looked down, meeting Naminé's eyes. She was sitting on his stomach after his computer chair lost balance.

_Oh shit._ Roxas knew he was in for it now. Sora probably assumed something dirty already. "Sora, it's not what it looks like..."

Sora was completely still. He looked at the two on the floor. Naminé stared back at him with wide eyes, her hands pressed to Roxas's chest as she slowly got off him. Sora then looked at the controllers on the floor, and finally the TV. His eyes lit up with mirth.

_Great._ Roxas squeezed his eyes shut. _I'm never living this down._

"Are you guys playing a video game together?" He asked slyly.

The two on the floor were speechless.

"Sora?" All three teens in the room heard Kairi call from downstairs. "Sora, is everything okay?"

Sora left the room to answer her. "Everything's fine! Roxas and Naminé are actually playing Portal 2 together!"

Naminé and Roxas looked at each other before frantically standing up. Naminé returned to her spot on the bed while Roxas placed his chair upright. He dropped into it just as Kairi came to the door.

Kairi gasped. She so badly wanted to scream and hug her sister for playing a game with Roxas. She also wanted to give Roxas a hug too for letting her play. But more than both of those desires, she wanted them to continue doing whatever _this_ was.

Biting down a smile, Kairi slowly asked her sister, "Naminé, do you mind if we stay here a little longer?"

The blonde shook her head, not even meeting her sister's eyes. "Yeah, sure."

Kairi beamed. She took Sora's hand and dragged him out of the room. "Come on!"

As soon as Roxas and Naminé were alone in the room, they released sighs of relief. Roxas buried his faces in his hands; Naminé rubbed her elbow.

"Did you have to hit my head so hard?"

"It wasn't on purpose! You're the one who fell off the chair!" Naminé hissed back. "My elbow hurts."

"You probably fell on it. Other than that, you're probably fine." Naminé nodded. "Tch, figures. Using me as a cushion saved _you_ a lot of pain."

"Man up already." Naminé shrugged.

"You're a lot heavier than you look."

"Did you seriously just call me fat?" Naminé put the controller down. That one was actually hurtful.

Roxas immediately backpedaled. "I called you skinny, if you read between the lines."

"You said I was heavy."

"Heavier than you looked. That means I think you're as skinny as a stick and I have no idea where you're putting that weight."

Naminé blinked. He insulted her, but he didn't do it by calling her fat.

She let it go. "Thankfully your brother is a little oblivious."

"A little? He thought we were getting along."

"Well at least he didn't assume we were doing something…"

"Doing something?"

"Yeah. You know, since I was…"

"On top of me…" Roxas finished her sentence as he processed what Naminé was saying. His ears felt all prickly and his face grew hot. He looked away from Naminé. "Why don't we get back to the game?"

Naminé stubbornly pursed her lips to brush away the embarrassment. "Y-Yeah. Whatever."

Neither of them brought up the incident for the rest of the night.

* * *

><p>Kairi stretched her arms above her head as the movie finished. She and Sora watched their favorite movie, <em>The Lion King<em>, while Roxas and Naminé played their little video game upstairs.

She now understood why a movie with animals as main characters outclassed all those movies with beautiful princesses. Unlike the lovers in all those movies, the two in _The Lion King_ had been best friends since childhood. This wasn't love at first sight, love born in a dream, or a case of Stockholm syndrome. Kairi loved how after years of separation, two best friends could reconnect and fall for each other.

It was love shared between two best friends. It reminded Kairi that the right one could be— and always could have been— around all along.

"Are you sleepy?" Sora asked tiredly. His hair poked out in all directions from her lap, tickling her arms as she ran her hands through it.

"Tired, but not sleepy, if that makes sense." Kairi looked down at Sora with a smile. "I still have to drive home."

"Make your sister drive."

"Good idea. That'll get my adrenaline pumping." Kairi joked. She lifted Sora's head high enough to slip away.

He frowned. "Leaving already?"

"It's almost midnight, Sora. We have to get home." Kairi walked up the staircase, heading straight to Roxas's room. "Naminé, are you ready to go?"

"In a bit, Kairi. We're almost done with this level." Naminé was completely entrenched in the game. Kairi thought she'd never see the day come; she never thought it was possible. But here was her sister, a controller in hand, staring at the TV with total concentration.

"Why don't you shoot your portal there so you can get momentum?"

"Way ahead of you." Roxas replied to the order. With the press of a switch, they finished another level. Roxas dropped his controller, holding his hands up in victory. "Done!"

"Ha! I told you we could beat the level!"

"Yeah, whatever. You didn't do that badly for a newbie."

"Not bad? I was awesome! I did better than you!"

"Oh please. How many levels did we beat because of me?"

"Well how many levels did I solve that you couldn't? One. But that's all it takes to show that I'm already better than you at this game!"

"Oh whatever!"

"Admit it!"

"There's nothing to admit!"

"Nam? Are you guys done?"

Naminé snapped out of her verbal battle with Roxas, remembering that Kairi had waited in the room for her. She put the controller down with a blush. "Oh, yeah. I am."

"Awesome. Meet me downstairs, okay?"

"Yup." The two blondes were left alone in the room once again.

"So do you still think video games turn people into mindless zombies?" Roxas smirked as he turned the TV off.

Naminé crossed her arms. "I reserve the right to think so. You showed me _one _game that's an exception. Don't think you changed my mind."

"Well maybe you should come over and play a couple more then." Roxas blushed. "S-So I can prove you wrong." He added quickly.

"Maybe I will. I bet most of your games are violent anyway." Naminé walked out of the room, not even checking to see if Roxas followed.

When she reached the bottom of the staircase, Sora and Kairi were already waiting by the door. She slipped her shoes on and walked over to them.

"I guess I'll see you tomorrow." Sora folded his hands behind his head.

Kairi giggled, nearly tackling him with a bear hug. Sora slowly returned the hug, embracing her tightly. "You'll definitely see me tomorrow."

Naminé spotted Roxas on the staircase. He looked at Sora and Kairi strangely before meeting Naminé's eyes. Both of them made faces at each other, equally as intrigued over the elongated hug.

They broke eye contact when Sora and Kairi parted. Kairi looked at her sister. "Ready?"

"Yeah." She hugged Sora, "I'll see you later."

"Yeah."

She looked up at Roxas, who stayed rooted on the staircase. "Don't bother yourself to come down here."

"I thought I wasn't allowed to be within a few feet of the princess." Roxas shot back. They smiled at their own banter.

"If only you abided by that rule all the time…" Naminé followed her sister out the door. Kairi didn't have to announce she was the one driving.

"I thought you guys were done fighting?" Kairi asked, a little perplexed over what she just witnessed.

"Of course not. I'll never get along with Roxas."

Kairi snorted. Such denial. Still, better that they talk than stand awkwardly around each other. "Well, at least you guys are smiling when you fight. You also use each other's names."

"I've called him by name before."

"You guys only do that when you're yelling at each other. You never use it to refer to him… until now, at least."

Naminé blushed. That didn't mean anything. "Whatever. Nothing's changed between us. He's still a total asshole."

"I'm sure he is, Nam."

* * *

><p><strong>Redeeming Endeavor: <strong>Thanks to anyone who subscribed or favorited myself or LPA in the past week! I visit your profiles every time I get a different person, so I really do know who does it.

As I said above, that had to be one of the most useful sets of reviews I got! The feedback was varied and incredible, just the way I like it. I hope you got your replies! Huge thanks to **Shire Folk, YAYAY317, PEANUT v1.2, Stonekipsta, ResoluteResolve, Allied Forces, Ash09, typewrite, Gear001, the ultimate kh fan, Zoe the Hunter, Shan **(The site thinks your username is a website, sorry -.-)**, sora93kairi, Lupus7, spadejackspade, Bluedemon322, BruHaeven, Alecdot, elspoek1, Draco Oblivion, InfinityStream, Spellbound a.k.a soragirl4ever, xFlows, Sparkly Faerie, Dramamamapwnsall, ChocoIsu, Yifei Li, Ayperi, **and **shadowwulfx! **I really appreciate the helpful and insightful reviews you all left me. That's what reviewing is all about! Loved it all.

Chapter Data- Word Count: 9,251. Total Editing Time: 593 minutes.

Harmless Author Fact #9: While Brawl is my main game, I also play a lot of others. I can probably beat all of you at is Soul Calibur II on GC (Talim anyone?). Other game series I enjoy are Legend of Zelda, Metroid, Assassins Creed, Batman Arkham Asylum, and KH!

Take care, and I'll see you around!


	10. Catalysts and Stimuli

Chapter 10: Catalysts and Stimuli

Kairi called it a development.

Sora called it regression.

Naminé and Roxas called it a return to normalcy.

A few days passed since that night, and Sora and Kairi spent much of that time in each other's presence. As it would follow, Roxas and Naminé spent that time together too, not including the hours Roxas was at work.

Roxas— though he would never admit it— actually liked the fact that he had an excuse to hang out with Naminé. What started out as an inconvenience for him turned into something that worked in his favor. He wouldn't say that they were growing closer, or developing an understanding between them. Rather, he just liked how he could tell her anything without punishment. If he thought her driving sucked, he said so. If he thought her room was messy, he called her out on it. If he thought she was being lazy, he'd tell her to get up and make him a sandwich.

She'd always kick him out for that last one. She never liked his sexist jokes.

Naminé, on the other hand, actually came to expect Roxas to come by anytime Sora was around. Though, she would never ask Sora why Roxas wasn't present with him— that would make it look like she wanted him there— and she had a feeling that he was only gone because of work. She'd never admit it, but being able to talk to someone without holding back was refreshing. If she wanted to judge Roxas, she could. If she thought he was being mean, she'd call him a name. If she thought he laughed like a girl, she made fun of him for it. If she thought he was overcompensating, she'd tell him— in a tone suited for a reminder— that it's okay to be below average.

That one was usually her trump card. He took it rather personally.

They never had a boring moment either, something that intrigued them both. It was rather noticeable; when a conversation died, they'd find a way to talk again. It was usually connected by an insult, but what did that matter when they were having fun?

"Hey! Naminé!" Roxas called as he entered the house. He didn't bother to greet his brother and Kairi sitting on the couch. They didn't seem to mind: both of them were looking at pictures on Kairi's laptop, too engrossed to care.

"I'm not in my room! I'm outside!"

"Your logic is as sharp as always." Roxas pushed the bedroom door open and crossed his arms with a smirk. He leaned against the door frame.

"It was worth a try. Maybe I'd get lucky and actually get rid of you." Naminé closed her laptop, unable to resist the smile that came to her face. "What do you want?"

"Oh, right. I forgot to bow and respectfully request my desires." He pushed off the wall and stood at the end of her bed. "Do you remember a couple days ago when you offered me dinner? I'm taking you up on the offer, but replacing it with lunch. I'll even carry you to your throne room. Or kitchen, whatever you want to call it."

"Do you really not learn anything?" Naminé got out of her bed and walked up to Roxas, attempting to shove him out of her room. "I swear, you're like some stupid creature who doesn't understand the concept of consequence or punishment. Even the simplest of animals have demonstrated the capacity to learn."

"That's rather haughty of you. A moment out of your presence is a blessing, not a punishment." Roxas didn't budge as Naminé pressed her hands to his shoulders and shoved.

"I'm about to kick you where it should hurt. You know, where something should be."

"Well if there's nothing there, _why don't you do it_?" Roxas smirked cockily.

"Okay." Naminé lifted her knee, but Roxas's hands came down faster, blocking it from making contact. She looked up at his shocked face. "You don't look as smug as before."

"You actually tried to knee me!"

"You just said I could!" This time, when Naminé put her hands on Roxas's shoulders and pushed, he moved back. "Now, out of my room."

"Wait." Roxas gripped Naminé's wrists. "Now that you're up, you're coming with me."

"I'm not going anywhere. You can't make me either."

"But I can. Watch." Roxas pulled on Naminé's arms, effortlessly dragging her along. She instantly regretted putting socks on. Apparently this meant that she would have to change her habit of wearing them when she thought she wasn't going out. "See? Easy."

"You're going to drag me out of my own home? And then what, Roxas? Are you gonna throw me in the car too?"

"Yeah, and then take you with me to lunch."

Naminé blinked. "What?"

"D-Did I s-stutter?" Roxas smirked again. He didn't bother repeating himself. "Think of this as me making up for that rain-check a couple days ago."

"We were trying to be nice to each other. They don't count." Naminé attempted to free her arms, but failed. She stared at Roxas, wondering if he was actually telling the truth.

"Of course they count! You think I'm going to let you off the hook that easily? You _will_ make me a sandwich one day—"

This time, Roxas wasn't quick enough to block the attack. Naminé's knee connected with its target. Roxas doubled over, choking down gasps of pain.

"Well," Naminé wiped her hands together and turned to walk back into her room. "If you're actually telling the truth, then don't drag me out of my room without letting me get ready."

"I… changed my mind. I'm dumping your body off in a river somewhere."

"Is that after you've successfully suffocated me with a plastic bag?" Naminé smiled gleefully.

"Yeah. That's also after I've punched you in the ovaries." Roxas wheezed.

"Hmm." Before Naminé closed the door, she looked out to get the last word. "I'd like to see you try."

* * *

><p>As it turned out, Naminé was still breathing twenty minutes later. Sure, she was in a car with Roxas, but her life wasn't in any real danger. Her ovaries were still intact, after all.<p>

"So where are we going?"

"We're meeting my friends at a Japanese restaurant." Roxas answered.

"Why do I have to meet your friends?"

"So I can embarrass you in front of them. They'll even side with me." Roxas joked.

"Imaginary friends are usually on the side of those who allow them to exist." Naminé said as profoundly as she could. "Have I met any of them before?"

"You met Xion. Why, are you nervous already?"

"Hardly. It's a lunch with you and Xion. Don't pretend you have more friends." Naminé stuck her tongue out at Roxas.

"Zexion will be there too. I'm pretty sure you met him. Axel and Demyx said they'd show up as well. They were the DJs from Club Spades."

"I see." Naminé nodded. She still had no idea why he dragged her along. "So how do I fit into the picture?"

"Like I said, I'm going to embarrass you. I like to call them my smart friends. Every time I meet up with these guys, we have a lovely table discussion on anything relevant to us."

"So you guys debate over video games, music, and what… ice cream flavors?" Naminé teased. "Doesn't sound too stimulating."

"We have talked about all those topics before, but who knows what it'll be this time?" Roxas shrugged. "I wonder if you'll be able to keep up. Everyone is expected to participate, with the exception of Demyx."

"Why does he get to sit and watch?"

"Because he never has anything worthwhile to say. Trust me, we look down upon that." Roxas pulled into the parking lot of the restaurant. "We're here. For your sake, I hope we talk about rich people problems. Maybe we'll discuss table manners and dress codes."

"Ha. Very funny."

The pair of blondes entered the restaurant, the smell of Japanese cooking immediately invading their senses. Roxas craned his neck until he found his friends.

"There they are." Naminé just followed him deeper into the restaurant until she recognized Xion and Zexion. The other two guys at the table looked older than the rest: Naminé assumed they were Axel and Demyx.

"Ah, so this must be Naminé!" The redhead stood up, stretching his hand to her. "The name's Axel."

"Naminé." She took his hand and shook it tentatively.

"I know. Roxas told me a lot about you. You're a lot prettier than he described."

Roxas broke up the handshake, swatting Axel's hand away. "Let's not, Axel."

"How did he describe me?" Naminé asked curiously.

"He said you had the personality of a troll, but your looks—"

"Match it." Roxas finished, silencing his best friend. "I know you find Axel enchanting, but he's taken."

Naminé glared at Roxas. "I wasn't interested."

"Of course not." Roxas rolled his eyes. "That's Demyx." He pointed to the one sitting next to Axel. Demyx mirrored Axel's actions, minus the conversation. He seemed all too interested in the menu.

"Hello, Xion. And Zexion, right?" Naminé asked the boy to the left of Xion as she sat down at the round table. He nodded.

"Naminé, it's a pleasure to see you again."

"Hey! Took you guys long enough." Xion smiled. Naminé took the vacant seat next to her, with Roxas sitting to her right. "I already got you guys your drinks. The waiter should be back in a bit for your orders."

"Perfect." Roxas immediately started on his soda. "So before we have a discussion, I have a few announcements."

"Are they good announcements?"

Roxas shook his head. "Depends on how you look at it, Axel. Good news or bad news first?"

"Bad." All of Roxas's friends said at the same time.

"The bad news is that paintballing next week is canceled and rescheduled for a later date. Sorry guys," Roxas apologized to Zexion and Demyx, who didn't even react to the news, "it has something to do with Xion and Axel."

"What's the good news?"

"The good news is that everyone is now invited to paintball." When Axel and Xion didn't really cheer, Roxas added, "And our three-on-three match against Sora, Riku and Kairi is being replaced with a laser tag match tomorrow."

"Yes!" Xion cheered. "I still get to shoot people!"

"I'll take that." Axel shrugged. "As long as we get our rematch, I'm fine with it."

"Can I ask why paintball was canceled?" Xion raised her hand.

"Sora, Kairi and Riku have an island to clean up. Selphie wants to throw a huge party on Play Island. All of you are invited. It's in two days."

Naminé was surprised by the news. Her sister didn't mention anything about this.

"The last thing I want to do is see all of your… weird friends." Zexion commented dryly. "I'll be skipping."

"Demyx and I actually have to work that night." Axel shrugged apologetically. "Wish we could go."

"Yeah, how are you guys going to get your alcohol now?" Demyx teased.

"You're asking the wrong guy." Roxas shook his head.

"Knowing Riku and Selphie," Xion chimed, "I don't think that will be a problem."

The waiter returned to the table to take everyone's orders. With the menus out of the way, the small group was left to sit and stare at their drinks while no one spoke. It was Demyx who broke the silence.

"Whose turn is it this week? I think I picked the last topic, so it's definitely not me."

"It's Xion's." Zexion mumbled as he placed his napkin over his lap. "So what's the topic for today?"

"How about relationships?" Xion offered. Everyone stared at her blankly. "The topic of today's discussion is relationships, with a focus on dating, long distance, and commitment."

"Wow. This is going to get really rough…" Axel chuckled. "I hope we're all still friends after this."

"Didn't we discuss this before?" Roxas looked around the table.

"The last time we did, we had to cut it short." Xion answered. "So I'm bringing it back."

"Well Naminé hasn't spoken up in a while," Axel smiled shrewdly in the guest's direction, "and we don't know her opinion either. Wanna start with her?"

Naminé opened her mouth to reply, but someone cut her off.

"I think it'd be better if one of us started." Roxas leaned forward in his seat, staring at his best friend. "I think that it'd be fairer if we showed her the ropes."

"Roxas, I think she knows how to debate a topic."

"Still—"

"Why don't I go first since I have one opinion on anything and everything about relationships?" Zexion interrupted the two. Everyone at the table turned to him. "Thank you."

"Your opinion, Zexion?" Xion sipped her drink, waiting for his answer.

"Relationships are useless. If you need another person to be happy, then you've obviously got problems. Dating therefore, whether seriously or for fun, is a waste of time. Time is better spent pursuing what you desire most."

"What if you desire the opposite— or same— sex the most? What if your biggest endeavor was to find love?" Axel smirked.

"Then it goes back to what I said before this: if you need another person to be happy, you have problems." Zexion crossed his arms. "Long distance dating? Don't make me laugh. How could you possibly say you're in a _relationship_ with someone if you see them once in a while? Are you really dating someone you see only twelve times a year? Most of the time it's less. It's stupid and delusional. As for commitment… perhaps you should commit yourself to more important things. I do think, however, that commitment is underrated."

"That's probably the only non-offensive thing you said in your whole tirade." Axel shook his head, chuckling to himself.

"We're all entitled to our opinions, and we don't have to agree with each other. If anything, I think it's great that we don't see the same way in every subject. We are, after all, still friends despite that." Xion defended Zexion.

Naminé was a little taken aback. Not only was Zexion's opinion well-thought and articulate, but it was rather… belittling and forward. Nobody seemed to be affected by how spiteful Zexion seemed though; Axel even seemed to find it entertaining. She stole a glance at Roxas. He merely stared at Zexion, his head resting on his propped fist.

"So who wants to go next?" Xion looked around the table excitedly. When nobody responded, she looked to her best friend. "Roxas, your turn."

The blond sighed, sitting up straight and folding his hands on the table. He took a deep breath before beginning. "Well for starters, I don't think relationships are useless." He looked at Zexion, who merely raised his shoulders in indifference. Roxas continued. "I think it's part of our nature to want to belong somewhere and to be accepted by a person. I know there are people who have learned to ignore that desire to be wanted, like Zexion here, but I think most of us want to find someone."

"Boring! I didn't know you were going to read us your latest romance novel." Axel teased Roxas, throwing his straw wrapper in his direction. Roxas merely laughed and threw it back.

"On that note, however, I have to agree with Zexion to some extent. I think it's bad to depend on someone else for your happiness, but at the same time I think there's a partner for everyone that can bring out the best of you." Roxas continued to stare at his hands as he formulated his opinions. "I don't mean to sound corny or anything, but I really do think that you can find your 'other half' in someone else."

"So overall, you think relationships _can_ be worthwhile?" Xion prodded.

"Yeah, but under certain circumstances. I don't think dating for fun or 'just because' is worthwhile. I think that's going back to where I agree with Zexion. People who do that are exactly as Zexion described."

"Man, you guys are vicious." Axel smiled at everyone. "So what about long distance relationships, Roxas? Yay or nay?"

"I think that depends on the couple. I'd go so far as to say that depends on the person, actually. My understanding, though, is that long distance doesn't work. But don't attack me now. I don't really have an opinion on it. If you think you can handle it, by all means try it."

"Would you try it?" Zexion asked.

"Depends on the person." Roxas smirked.

"And what about commitment?" Xion brought up the last topic.

"I think it's underrated."

"Of course you do. You're a guy." Xion rolled her eyes.

"That's an unfair judgment." Roxas looked down at his hands again. "I just think that way because I look at divorce rates these days— and I guess guys my age too— and commitment is pretty hard to find. I mean, at least two of us at this table have divorced parents."

"Your parents are divorced?" Xion asked Naminé. The blonde blinked, realizing that she had a question to answer. "Oh, wait. That was rude of me. Sorry."

"Y-Yeah. It's why we moved. My parents are still on good terms though, it... it just didn't work out." Naminé shut her mouth as soon as she was finished.

"Well that's good. You don't seem to be a screw-up like me. Your parents must've handled that well." Axel leaned back in his chair with a smile.

"Let's get back to the topic before Axel starts asking for 'divorce-survivor' high-fives." Xion rubbed her forehead.

"Well I'm pretty much done." Roxas shrugged. "All I had left to say was that so many people cheat and girls don't realize they have a committed guy until they kick 'em to the curb."

"Oh yeah, because all is fine and dandy as long as the guy is committed right? That's all it takes."

"I didn't say that, Xion. I'm just saying that some girls don't know how to be happy with a guy who's completely devoted to her. There's always a point in the relationship where love isn't enough anymore."

"Amen, brother!" Axel shouted loudly. Everyone at the table looked at him. "Oh, sorry. Personal experience has proven Roxas's words true. Carry on."

"Well, I think it's finally Naminé's turn!" Xion turned excitedly to the blonde. "Or do you need more time to get your thoughts together? We've talked about this before, so we've had our opinions formulated for a while. You can pass if you'd like."

"I think I can go." Naminé looked around the table timidly. Roxas stared at her, his expression unreadable.

"Great! I'll break it up into a few questions to make it a little more specific. Let's see…" Xion pressed a finger to her cheek as she thought. "What's your opinion on relationships? Don't be afraid to offend anyone. We live off that here."

"I promise on behalf of all of us that we will not attempt to cut you at any point in this conversation, nor will we try after it." Axel raised his right hand in the air as he pledged. "Besides, I'm sure we'll have to get through Roxas if we want anything to do with you." The redhead added quickly.

The younger boy glared at his best friend. "Axel…"

"Problem?"

"Enough, boys. It's Naminé's turn." Xion looked at the blonde. "The floor is yours."

Naminé cleared her throat as she looked at the five pairs of eyes trained on her. She hated the attention. "Um… relationships, right?"

"Yup."

"Okay…" The blonde sighed slowly, trying to compose her thoughts. "I think that… I think that relationships are actually important, even failed ones. While I do think it's unhealthy to depend on others for happiness, at the same time I see happiness in like this… this measurable threshold, I guess. Like we can achieve a certain happiness on our own, but I guess that level goes up when you let another person enter your life." Naminé demonstrated her thoughts with her hands, holding one hand at a higher height than the other.

"Do you think that extra happiness is necessary though? It's all the same to me." Zexion queried.

"I don't think it's necessary, per se. I think it's great if someone is capable of achieving that highest level of happiness on their own. But I also think that sharing it with someone else has more potential. I consider myself a happy person, for example. But when I see a couple— like my sister and Sora—"

"Wait, are they going out now?" Axel interrupted.

"Totally. They've never said it outright nor made it online official, but they are." Xion answered.

"I feel left out of the loop. Someone congratulate them for me. Good for them!"

Naminé giggled. "I'll let them know they have your blessing."

"Awesome."

"Naminé was saying something before you interrupted her." Zexion brought the topic back up.

"Right. I was going to say that when I see my sister, I can't help but wonder what it'd be like to feel what she feels. I'm happy and satisfied right now, but I think my sister is happier than she's ever been. I hear that from a lot of people who are dating too. It's not that they were unhappy without someone; rather, they were happy and became _happier_ when they found someone."

"With that potential happiness, though, comes the same potential for pain." Roxas added. "Is it really worth the chance?"

"I think so. You can't possibly let someone completely in without subjecting yourself to potential sadness. Would you put your feelings on the line just for the chance that they might be returned?" She looked Roxas right in the eye.

"Probably." He shrugged. They quickly looked away from each other.

"So yeah… that's about it for me." Naminé shrugged, finding her lap very interesting.

"What about long distance relationships? Good, bad?"

"I probably have to agree with Zexion on that one."

"So are Sora and Kairi doomed to fail?" Xion asked. "They're bound to be separated at the end of this summer."

"Oh…" Naminé felt like she fell into a trap. "I think their circumstances are different. I don't know if anyone else noticed, but they seemed to handle separation rather well. It's not like they ever grew apart with the distance."

"Good point." Xion shrugged. "So not all long distance relationships are a joke?"

"I guess not. I'm not about to call my sister's relationship a joke, so… yeah. I guess I agree with Roxas in that it completely depends on the people involved."

"Excluding your sister, do you otherwise agree with Zexion?" Axel piped in.

"Probably."

"And would you ever enter a long distance relationship?" Zexion followed up.

"Probably not." Naminé replied quickly. "I don't think I could handle one."

"So what about dating for fun?" Roxas asked.

"I'm not quite sure I understand what you mean. I assume all dating is fun."

"He's basically asking you if you think people who don't really know if they like each other should date." Xion clarified.

"Oh!" Naminé shifted in her seat a bit. This was something she had thought about extensively. "This is actually something I talked about before then!"

"Well that's good. Now we'll know whether or not you've just been spouting our opinions back to us or if you actually have them." Despite the harshness, Zexion smiled at their newest participant. She smiled back.

"I strongly believe that dating 'just for fun' is a waste of time. I think that it's very important to confirm your own feelings before ever asking someone out, since you never know if it's a passing crush or if it's actually a genuine interest."

"Good! We're getting some new material to work with now!" Xion said excitedly. "I have an example for you. Let's say this guy is super interested in you, but you don't really feel anything for him; at least, not yet. He asks you out: do you agree to go out with him?"

Naminé thought about it for a while before shaking her head. "So he likes me, but I don't like him?"

"Yup."

"Why so shifty, Roxas?" Axel called his friend out. "Getting a little uncomfortable there?"

"Xion's question seems awfully familiar, is all."

"This is a question for Naminé, Roxas. Not you."

"Just continue." Xion urged the blonde.

"I probably wouldn't go out with him."

"Really? Even though he's made it obvious that he likes you and everything?"

"I don't think I could date anyone I didn't like back."

"So you wouldn't give him a chance to see if you'd eventually come to like him?" Axel asked, just as surprised as Xion.

"That's just me though!" Naminé defended. "I just think that I have to be friends with this person first—"

"Well what if you are friends?" Xion added the detail into the situation.

"And I didn't like this friend romantically? Then I definitely wouldn't go out with him."

"Whoa!"

"Wow, somebody has high standards!" Xion and Axel teased.

"I just think that if I don't develop feelings for this guy while he's my friend, then I probably won't ever. I think it's very important to start off as friends first. I don't think I would ever date a guy who I didn't consider my best friend."

"Wow. Bless the boy who goes after Naminé's heart." Axel tried to quell his own laughter, covering his mouth with his hands.

"I used to tell Kairi all the time that she shouldn't go out with guys who she wasn't already good friends with. She dated these two guys in the past 'to give them a chance' and look how that turned out!" Naminé looked around the table, noticing that everyone was listening again. "She finally decided to listen to me, and now she's dating her best friend."

Everyone at the table looked at each other, wordlessly communicating. Naminé felt like they were sending telepathic messages to each other about her recently expressed opinion.

"Okay, I'll ask it." Xion said with finality. "Naminé, how many guys have you denied?"

"I'm sorry?"

"How many guys have asked you out, only to be turned down?"

Naminé's face grew hot. "How is this important?"

"Because it'll give us some insight." Zexion said with a mysterious smile.

"I don't see how…"

"Then just answer and we'll tell you after!" Xion suggested.

Naminé stared at her lap, suddenly feeling ashamed. "I-I don't know. Five? Six? Something like that…"

Most of the table occupants roared in laughter. Naminé felt even more out of place, suddenly feeling like she said something wrong.

"Six?" Axel asked, more shocked than anyone.

"That's half a dozen guys!"

"Thank you, Demyx. It's always nice to see you're able to associate words with numbers."

"Don't be mean, Zexion." Xion turned to Naminé, fighting down a smile. "You've rejected _six_ guys? Is this just in high school?"

"Y-Yeah… but they were all these random guys that I didn't really know. They probably just thought I was easy."

"Naminé, that is _not_ the reason why they asked you out." Axel pointed at her with his unbroken chopsticks.

"If it was, they would have stopped at two or three. They would've gotten the message that you weren't going to have any of that stuff."

"Well why did so many people approach me if they knew I wasn't easy?"

Axel, Xion, and Zexion all traded looks. The last boy sighed when his two friends teamed up on him. "Fine, I'll say it."

"Say what?" Naminé was again left confused by the wordless conversations.

"What everyone at this table is thinking. Unfortunately, I'm the only one who can say it without sounding like a pedophile, or like I'm trying to come onto you."

"Well, what is it?"

"I don't wanna say. It's a little hurtful."

"I'd like to know what everyone is thinking."

Zexion sighed. "Fine. The reason why so many guys asked you out is not because they thought you were easy. They— like everyone at this table— thought you were hot."

Naminé blinked. What?

"And I think that might've shaped your opinions… just saying…" Xion shrugged awkwardly.

Naminé let out an uncomfortable laugh. Why would they even say that? "Are you guys being serious?"

"We are. Whether you recognize it or not, you're rather attractive." Zexion said informatively. Naminé understood why they cornered their gay friend to say it. Coming from anyone else, that line would have made her infinitely more uncomfortable.

"Does everyone think that? I'm sure—" Naminé paused when she saw Roxas staring at her. "Do you—"

To her embarrassment, Roxas blushed and looked away.

He blushed.

Oh_._ Naminé quickly looked away too. _Oh._

So Roxas apparently was thinking that too. The grand revelation made Naminé feel funny. Roxas thought she was… attractive?

"I wish I had the luxury of turning down six guys."

"Same here, and I'm not even gay!" Axel joked with Xion.

"Okay, we can stop teasing her about this now!" Roxas stepped in, ending the jokes being traded among the group. "Besides, I could just as easily say that all of your opinions are shaped by your experiences too."

"Aww, we know!" Xion placed her hand on Naminé's shoulder, bringing her out of her thoughts. "Sorry, Naminé. That was rude of us. I just… I just had to ask because you made it seem like dating is some sort of sacred thing."

Naminé shifted in her seat. "I wouldn't go so far as to call it sacred, but I think it needs to be held in high regard. I'm not going to just waste my feelings on someone."

"I understand what you mean! I just have a completely different view on it all." Xion said.

"Damn Naminé, you must be the only hot girl in your school if you had the chance to deny six guys…"

"Axel, we're done with that." Roxas said sternly.

"Just saying…"

"So does everyone think I'm never going to get a boyfriend or something?"

"Not exactly." Zexion answered.

Naminé stared him down. "If that's what everyone's thinking, then just tell me. I'm used to Roxas putting me down, so I can certainly take his friends. Besides, I'm perfectly fine by myself—"

"We're not saying you'll never have a boyfriend, Naminé." Axel stated calmly. "We're saying that when you do have one, he'll be a really good one. A genuine guy, if you will."

"Surely that's the case, if he's willing to jump through so many loops to be with you. I think it's great that you have such standards and expectations. You're not going to settle, and you'll only date a guy who genuinely likes you."

Naminé sat back. Their words calmed her considerably. She realized that she was starting to get defensive and immediately blushed. It appeared that she actually wasn't ready for them to tease her like that, even though everyone who had spoken had been put in the hot seat.

"It's just the way we are." She heard Roxas say from her right. She met his eyes. "The person who has the floor is subject to torture. I knew it was going to be too much for you…"

Naminé didn't recognize any spite or teasing in his voice. In fact, it almost seemed regretful. A desire to appear strong and unaffected washed over her; she leaned closer to him. "Whatever you think I'm going through, I'm fine." She allowed herself to smile. "I've put up with you for years. Do you think a couple comments from your cronies are enough to put me down?"

Roxas smirked back.

"What are you two whispering about?" Xion drew attention to the blond pair. "It's my turn to go, so I'd appreciate the attention."

"Well I had to wait for you and Axel to stop arguing over Naminé's opinions." Roxas held his hand out for Xion to continue. "Let's hear it."

"Well first off, I think dating for fun is a great idea. I don't know if any of you guys noticed, but I'm sixteen. I'm not looking for a husband right now. I just want to have fun."

"Maybe that's what attracts Riku." Roxas mumbled. Naminé was the only one who heard.

"That being said, I still think that anyone can date for fun. Roxas, do you know what your type is?"

"I wouldn't say so."

"What about you, Naminé? Do you have a 'type' that you're aware of?"

"I have an idea, but nothing's set in stone." She answered cautiously.

"That's the point I'm making here: I think dating around is healthy for your ultimate relationship. How are you supposed to know what you do and do not like if you only date one person all your life?"

"So you're saying that people should whore it up and date like there's no tomorrow?" Axel suggested.

"Absolutely not. What I am saying, though, is that you shouldn't limit yourself so early. I don't mean to call you out, Naminé, but I need to use you as an example." Xion looked at the blonde apologetically before continuing. "Unlike you, I think that giving a guy a chance is something all girls should do. I side with a lot of guys when I say this: girls go on and on all day about how they can't find a decent guy. Obviously they're dating assholes that they're attracted to. But what about the guy who's not as attractive, but is willing to— dare I say it— _commit_ himself to a girl?"

"Well maybe he should work on not being ugly." Axel raised his hand for a high five, but nobody gave him one. "Aww, c'mon. It wasn't _that_ inappropriate."

"As I was saying," Xion recovered their attention, "limiting yourself to only dating guys you are completely sure you like and guys that you know like you back really limits your horizons."

"I wasn't saying that you should completely limit yourself off," Naminé interjected, "I was saying that it's better to date someone after you've gotten to know them better and you've decided that you're willing to put your feelings on the line for them."

"I know, and I respect that!" Xion said quickly. "But you said that it's better to date after becoming best friends. How can you be so sure that this guy is going to be your type? What if the jump from best friend to boyfriend shows you that he's not the kind of guy you're looking for?"

"It's never a sure thing, but I can make the same argument in that if the guy is your best friend, you'll have an idea on the type of guy he is." Naminé returned. "And I hate to use you an example, but don't you have an idea of what kind of guy Roxas is? I know you don't know what it's like to date him, but you know him well enough to make what you believe are safe assumptions, right?"

Xion's eyes flashed. "Good point."

"That is a good point. I like it." Axel conceded. Naminé smiled weakly.

"I still think it's a good idea to date around. You won't find out what's best for you until you discover what you like. You're also missing out on a lot of potential fun."

"That may be the case, but I'm willing to wait for the right guy to come along. From what I can tell, all I'm missing out on is learning how to deal with a break-up." Naminé spoke again.

"Again, good point. But let's be realistic here: there are nearly seven billion people in the world. Let's say half of them, approximately three and a half million, are potential guys for you. Are you telling me that you'll find the guy that's perfect for you on your first try, without looking? Are you really going to bet on the chance that this guy— this one-in-millions guy— just happens to walk by within the first sixteen years of your life, happens to be in some accessible place, and happens to be perfect for you all at once?"

"I'm going to speak up and say that I'm with Xion on this one." Axel added. "That's why I keep telling you guys not to lock yourself down so early."

Naminé shook her head. "It's highly improbable, and I recognize that. But I also think that no one is really 'perfect' for me. I do think, though, that the guy I do decide to go out with would be the closest thing to it."

Before anyone could add to the conversation, the food arrived. Naminé realized that the waiting time felt significantly shorter thanks to a topic that had everyone conversing the whole time. She'd have to adopt the time-passing method and apply it to her own friend groups. It was too much fun.

"Did you seriously order a burger at a Japanese restaurant?" Roxas stared at Axel's plate in disgust. "Out of everything you could've have ordered, you got a _hamburger_?"

"Hey, this isn't just a hamburger. This is kobe beef. This stuff is legit." Axel said, slightly insulted. His eyes widened considerably. "Guys! Guys, I got something!"

Everyone paused, taken aback by Axel's sudden burst of enthusiasm. "Something wrong?" Demyx asked.

"Commitment is like eating a huge hamburger when you're full!"

Xion, Zexion, and Roxas groaned at the same time.

"Here we go…"

"Not this shit again…"

"Did he seriously just say that?"

Naminé looked confused, but remained quiet. Demyx, on the other hand, stared at Axel like he said the quote of the century.

"How so?" The older male sitting next to Axel was completely intrigued.

"Well, think of it this way. Let's say I'm full, but I still have this burger in front of me." Axel began. "Don't I look like a complete tool if I cut the burger in half?"

Roxas rolled his eyes. "Yes, if you're a guy. But how does this relate to commitment?"

"But that's it! Cutting this burger in half is like going back on a commitment, but eating all of it— despite the fact that I may be full— is like anyone who seriously knows how to stick it. Any man who dares to cut a burger in half is a guy who's always looking for that back door escape. There is no back-up plan or 'let's save this burger for later.' You either eat the burger entirely, or you sit in shame for being unable to finish it."

"I do not understand this analogy." Xion continued eating her food.

"This is beyond relationship commitment, guys. This is commitment in general. Cutting the burger in half is like half-committing to someone or something. When you don't fully devote yourself, you would have done just as well if you didn't give a damn." Axel explained further, "Think about it. You better finish this burger even if it gives you explosive diarrhea later. Why? Because you are a man and you ordered it! That's like taking the commitment!"

"I think I'm following you now." Xion nodded slowly.

"No matter what, you better eat the whole thing. If you go one way and you can't go back, you have to see it through. If you have to jump over a pit of spikes— let's equate that to a relationship— and you half-commit to the jump, are you going to make it? Hell no! You're going to fall and puncture your organs! It's the same way with tackling a problem in a relationship! If you're dating someone and you want to back out any time you reach a roadblock, not only do you look like a total douche for wanting to avoid it, but you also won't get past it without working through it!"

"I think he's actually onto something…" Roxas mumbled through a full mouth.

"I thought we were talking about food, but apparently spike pits are all the rage now." Zexion rolled his eyes.

"There won't be a problem-free relationship. Ever. It's a given. But you wanna know what sets apart the couples that stay together and the ones who don't? The ability to work through any problem— if we were still running with the spikes, then it's the ability to jump over every pit— and the commitment to work things out. I know that's debatable, since sometimes splitting and divorce are the better choices, but just think about it. I wouldn't be dating Larxene right now if I didn't look for ways to work around our problems. Even when it was really shitty, I stuck to my guns."

"You were full, but you still ate the hamburger!" Demyx said excitedly.

"Exactly! And that's why I think the best relationships are built on a strong foundation of commitment from both parties. Xion, I already know you think commitment is overrated and guys are just looking for an excuse to stop trying—"

"I don't see why the wooing has to stop when the guy gets his girl." Xion said. Naminé quietly agreed with her, signaled by a meeting of eyes.

"— but at the same time, isn't it amazing? I think it's hard to find that person. I don't think finding a person who will commit is hard— there are tons of guys and girls who do— but there are only a handful that will devote themselves entirely to _you_, the individual. That guy or girl is probably the one-in-millions person we were discussing earlier. He who is willing to commit _wholly_ to you is the 'it' guy."

The table was silent for a moment as everyone processed Axel's word. The redhead smiled in satisfaction before digging into his burger. He was confident he got his view across.

"You know, that was actually… that was actually admirable." Roxas shrugged. "I'm actually impressed."

"Same here. I thought it was going to be another fail, but that actually came through in the end." Xion agreed.

Zexion nodded. "You're obviously capable of higher thought, and you apparently have a very thought-out view on this subject. Why you choose to dress it up with awful analogies is beyond me. You have so much potential… "

"Yet you sound like an idiot half the time." Xion finished.

"Hey, as long as you guys understand what I'm trying to say."

"I think we do." Demyx said happily. "Though that was a really weird way of expressing how hungry you were."

"What the hell is he talking about?" Zexion covered his face in shame.

Naminé could only giggle at the group's antics. Looks like Roxas had an intelligent group of friends after all. "I think I'm right in saying that _most_ of us understood what you were saying, Axel."

* * *

><p>Naminé actually wanted to talk with everyone more by the time lunch ended. She didn't think Roxas was being serious when he said that they talked about relevant topics; she was delightfully mistaken. And even though she had to pay for herself at the end— therefore the meal, she argued, did not make up for the dinner offer Roxas made when he was trying to be nice— she had a lot of fun.<p>

"You know, you didn't do half bad. I expected you to cower and sit there silently, but you surprised me."

Naminé looked over at Roxas, surprised over what he had just admitted. "It involved topics I had strong feelings about."

"I think what was more surprising was that I agreed with most of what you had to say." The two walked to Naminé's car, already separated from Roxas's friends. "You sure have some strange views."

"I think the best part of it is that I still like all your friends, despite how differently they seem to view things." Naminé got into the hot car, immediately rolling the windows down. "It's weird. I used to think that only I had the right idea, but I see their points. I never really thought the same way as Xion explained— and she didn't change my mind or anything— but it was pretty enlightening. To each her own, I guess."

"Yeah, but you seemed to agree very strongly with her on a particular topic. Typical girl."

Naminé laughed. "You're a typical guy if you think you can stop trying after you get a girl. And don't you dare say 'at least the guy doesn't cheat.' That is such a double-standard and I don't even wanna go there."

"I don't want you to go there either. I'll never hear the end of it from you." Roxas chuckled as he drove out of the parking lot. "You're so freaking opinionated it's unbelievable."

"I don't express these opinions until I'm asked."

"Well you were about to go off when I never really asked."

"Maybe I want to annoy you. Ever think of that?"

"Contrary to what you believe, I don't like thinking about you. It makes me nauseous."

Roxas froze. That could've been interpreted in multiple ways. Luckily, Naminé didn't seem to notice.

"Where are we going? This isn't the route we took from the house." The blonde looked at their passing surroundings.

"We're getting ice cream. Don't worry, I'm paying."

Naminé narrowed her eyes. "You know, you don't have to go through with making up for the dinner you offered. For starters, I sure as hell don't want to make you dinner. Second, buying me a cup of ice cream is nowhere near the amount of food I would have eaten."

"I always knew you were spoiled. So she finally bares her teeth, eh?"

The blond girl next to him rolled her eyes. "Not even ice cream will make me enjoy this time with you."

"Well, I hope the taste of sea-salt ice cream is enough to keep me sane for the next twenty minutes." Roxas smiled back as he parked the car.

The pair made their way to the ice cream shop. They were delighted to see that the line was empty, so they quickly ordered. After ordering his ice cream, he took a step back so Naminé could go.

"I'll have cookie dough in a waffle cone, please."

"How many scoops?"

"Just one."

Roxas rolled his eyes and stepped forward. "Hell no. Give her two scoops, please. I'm paying anyway, don't worry." He told the teen behind the counter. Naminé glared at him.

"What the hell are you doing?"

"You're like, ninety pounds. I think you can afford an extra scoop."

"I am not that light! And I just ate a whole lunch. I'm full."

"No you're not. You're still hungry. Otherwise, you wouldn't have finished your meal."

Naminé didn't get to say anything else and was forced to take her ice cream with a smile. Roxas paid like he said, leaving some change in the tip jar. The pair walked outside, walking over to a picnic table in the shade. While Naminé slid onto the bench like a normal person, Roxas chose to sit on the table.

"Great. It'll probably melt before I can finish it." Naminé grumbled. The ice cream was already beginning to liquefy.

"Better eat fast!" Roxas ate a huge chunk off his sea-salt ice cream bar. Naminé grimaced.

"What kind of ice cream is that?"

"Only the best in the world." Roxas said casually. "Why? You jealous now?"

"If I wanted your ice cream, I'd collect some water from the ocean and freeze it for later."

"It's not actually frozen seawater, you know."

"Really? I didn't know that."

"You can be a bitch about it if you'd like." Roxas chuckled at Naminé's reaction. "You don't have the right to bash it until you try it."

"That's probably the stupidest thing I've ever heard you say. Does that mean I can't say running people over is bad until I've tried it? Don't be ridiculous."

"That's almost as bad as that saying that goes 'don't cry because it's over; smile because it happened.' Way to twist my words though."

"I exist to make you look stupid." Naminé smiled charmingly as she quickly licked her melting ice cream. "So do you have something against table benches, or do you always sit on the table like you're the only one here?"

"Don't you get it? To me, you don't fall under the category of 'person' at the table."

"Forget I asked." The two sat quietly for a while, both of them focused on finishing their ice cream. "Hey, Roxas."

"What?"

"In the car, you said we agreed on a lot of things. What exactly did you mean?"

Roxas shifted his weight for a second. After taking another bite of his ice cream, he answered. "I think it's a good idea to get to know a person before dating them, even though that's pretty much what dating is for. I for one would never randomly ask a girl for a date. And I don't know if I meant that I actually agreed with you: I might have just meant that I disagree with Xion on a lot of issues. I respect her opinions though. She has her reasons for thinking what she does."

"What reasons would those be?"

"It's not my place to say. Just hang out with Xion more. You'll start to discover that she thinks about the future a lot. She's spent a lot of time thinking about life too." Roxas didn't say anything more on the topic. Naminé got the feeling that she asked something personal, so she immediately dropped it.

Instead, she chose to pursue a different topic. "Before we left the restaurant— and after the talk about how overrated commitment is— Xion said something about you and Axel always teaming up on her. Are you closer to Axel than you are with Xion?"

Roxas laughed, shaking his head. "It's not like that at all. She was just referring to something in the past. But if you must know, I think I'm closer to Xion now since Axel has been away for a while. I was definitely closer to him before I met her though."

"What was Xion referring to then?"

Roxas raised a brow at Naminé. "I didn't know it was time to interview me."

"Well you can ask me anything you want later then. Or don't answer these, I don't care. We can sit here and talk about nothing if you'd like."

"You mean you'll shut up if I just ignore you?" Roxas smirked at her before continuing. "Xion thinks Axel and I have some sort of bromance. In reality, she's basing this off her own jealousy and a texting typo."

"A texting typo?" Naminé became interested when Roxas seemed to shy away from the topic. "Aren't you going to tell me?"

"Nope."

"Roxas!" The blonde glared at the boy. "You can't just not tell me!"

"I'm doing that right now, in case you haven't noticed. Today I proved that I _can_ defy your orders if I pleased. Sorry, princess. You're not omnipotent after all."

"Seriously, Roxas."

The boy pressed his lips together. He was going to regret telling her. "Everyone already knows about it. It's nothing new."

"So tell me!"

He sighed. The reason as to why he was about to tell her escaped him. "All you need to know is that I played a prank on Axel. I got him all excited over something just to let him know it was a joke. Naturally, I found it hilarious, so the first thing I did was tell Xion. I told her what happened, she thought it was funny too, and as the conversation ended, I wanted to say 'God, I love fucking with Axel.' Unfortunately, I missed a word."

"No way…" Naminé smiled in anticipation. She had an idea of what the text might have said.

"Yes way. I sent my best friend a text that said 'God, I love fucking Axel.' Freaking texting…"

Naminé burst out into a fit of laughter, nearly dropping her ice cream in the process. Roxas blushed, ignoring the girl that sat beside him. She clutched her sides, repeating the text every now and then, only to succumb to more laughing. Roxas couldn't do anything but wait it out.

"It's not that funny…" Roxas crossed his arms, tossing the wooden stick of his ice cream away. "It was a typo. Big deal."

"A typo? More like a Freudian slip! Ha!" Naminé suppressed another round of giggles with her mouth. "You and Axel… bahaha!"

"Oh for crying out loud…" Roxas had to sit through yet another minute of laughing. He knew he was going to regret telling her. _Why_ did he even say anything in the first place?

"I… oh gosh, Roxas. That is way too funny!" Naminé finally seemed to calm down from her fit. "Please tell me that Xion still has that saved on her phone."

"It's already been deleted." Roxas said proudly.

"Why would you delete that?"

"Oh please, like you wouldn't? Get real." Despite himself, Roxas smiled. Naminé had never laughed like that because of him ever before. "So now that you know something embarrassing about me, it's your turn."

"I don't think I have a single event in my repertoire to match that." Naminé giggled.

"Think of something! And don't play that card. You would be the first person to have a ton of embarrassing stories."

"Why do you say that?"

"You strike me as the kind of person susceptible to those kinds of situations." Roxas explained. An idea suddenly hit him when his eyes found the parking lot. "Why don't you tell me how you barely passed your driver's license test?"

Naminé's eyes widened. "Oh."

The boy grinned devilishly, dropping onto the opposite table bench. "That's right. There _has_ to be a story behind your awful driving."

"There is no story. Well, unless you count the fact that I…" Naminé trailed off, her words dropping in volume and turning into a jumbled mess.

"What was that? I didn't quite catch it."

"You missed it? That's unfortunate."

"Naminé, I'm not taking no for an answer."

"Well you're going to have to, since I don't have a story about how I barely passed my driving test." Naminé said cryptically.

Roxas narrowed his eyes. "I hardly believe you passed with flying colors."

"You'd be correct to assume that. See? No story after all."

"Well how did you get your license then?"

"Kairi did."

"Well of course Kairi did— wait." Roxas paused. "There's a story behind this."

"Not really…" Naminé finished the last of her ice cream, wiping her hands casually with a napkin. "No story here."

"Just tell me already!"

The blonde huffed. "Fine. Kairi took my test for me and passed. Happy?"

Roxas gaped before a slow laugh took over "No way. You're being serious right now?"

"Nope. I actually just lied to you so you'd get off my case." Naminé looked away. "Can we talk about something else now?"

"Holy crap! You actually cheated on your driving test! How in the world do you pull that off?"

"With a little hair dye and a twin to do the driving for you. And I guess poor regulation on their part…"

"Don't you have to have a teacher drive with you at all times?"

"In Radiant Garden, all you have to do is have your permit for a year. They assume you get driving experience in that time frame. Then you go in for your driving test, which is basically fifteen minutes with a tester."

"So are you even on your driver's license picture?" Roxas asked curiously.

"Oh, yeah. I guess I forgot to include that you also need the willpower to hide out in a port-o-potty for a good half hour until your sister gets back with the good news." Naminé shrugged.

"Wow." Roxas blinked slowly, still digesting the information. Wow. I can't wrap my mind around that. That is so… so…"

"Evil? Dangerous? Illegal? Deadly?"

"I was going to say badass, but all of those apply too." Roxas shrugged. "I can't believe you got away with that! I always knew you were a villain deep down!"

"Like you've never done something illegal before!" Naminé walked away from the table to throw away her napkins. Roxas followed her back to the car.

"I've never done anything _that_ illegal! And I can't believe you got away with that! Where was the tester the whole time?"

"You've been to the DMV before. When are they not busy? Switching was the easy part."

"I can't believe I'm saying this, but I have mad respect for you now. You're such a thug." Roxas joked as he ran away from a smack. "I knew you had the capacity, but I never knew you would actually do something like that."

"Aww, thanks. I always kind of knew you liked guys too. It doesn't surprise me that you'd come out to your best friend first either." Naminé smirked victoriously.

"Nothing's wrong with a little man love. But you wanna know what _is_ wrong? Illegally obtaining your license! Boom!"

"I already regret telling you any of this."

A normal and casual banter filled the rest of the car ride home. Neither party imparted embarrassing information, even though both had eventually moved on from the topic and the traumatizing memories that came along with discussing it. They reached Naminé's house in twenty minutes, noticing Sora's car parked in the driveway. Roxas parked along the road.

"Hey, wait a second." Roxas locked the doors of the car before Naminé could get out. She turned to face him. "I was thinking about this a lot, and being the good person I am, I can't allow you to get on the road or get behind a wheel for now."

Naminé rolled her eyes and unlocked her door. "Boring! You already used all your jokes about it."

"Well I'm not done!" Roxas locked the doors again. Naminé huffed and crossed her arms. "Good. Since I love the world, I'm not allowing you to drive… at least, not until you allow me to teach you."

Naminé sat still, stunned into silence. Roxas unlocked the doors of the car and turned off the car like nothing unusual happened. "What did you just say?"

"I said that I'll teach you how to drive properly. That way, you won't be a hazard on the road anymore."

"Yeah, but what's the catch?"

"I already told you: I'm a good person and I care about the well-being of others." Naminé tilted her head, obviously unconvinced. "Fine, I'm looking for another opportunity to make fun of you. Happy?"

Naminé smiled. "Better." She exited the car.

"Is that a yes or a no?" Roxas called from the driver's side. Naminé turned around and flashed him a smile.

"I think I'll take you up on it. Heck, I think I'll do anything to make you scream like the little girl you are!" Roxas smiled back, tossing the car keys to her. He bit his lip to keep from laughing when Naminé failed to catch it.

"We'll start tomorrow then!" He said resolutely. "When you get inside, tell my brother that I'm ready to go."

"You're not going to stay a while?"

"Are you kidding me?" He slowly walked around the car until he was in front of Naminé. Looking down at her, he smirked confidently. "I've had enough of you for one day."

She gave him a hard shove, forcing him to step back to maintain his balance. "I get it: I'm too much for you to handle."

"You are high maintenance." Roxas admitted with a shrug. Naminé paused at the door, turning around one last time to get the final word.

"Don't think ice cream gets you off the hook. You still owe me dinner!"

She entered her house, closing the door behind her. Roxas could only shake his head and smile.

Maybe she _was_ too much for him to handle.

* * *

><p><strong>Redeeming Endeavor<strong>: Thanks to anyone who added LPA or myself to their alerts/favorites list! I'm about to break 100 alerts. Knowing that so many people get a message that LPA is updated is awesome.

So, which third am I talking about? None other than** Shire Folk, Ash09, Gear001, Sparkly Faerie, TwinToshiro, ResoluteResolve, Spellbound a.k.a soragirl4ever, Lupus7, Zoe the Hunter, YAYAY317, Handwritten, PEANUT v1.2, BlackKingdomKey2013, Draco Oblivion, Draconic, xFlows, Shan, the ultimate kh fan, dramamamapwnsall, SavedForever, elspoek1, LightSky****, typewrite, roxasXnamine-ftw, Alecdot, mystery person** **, ChocoIsu, sora93kairi, maskedgirl3, Topaz Tsubasa, **and** shadowwulfx**! Thank you so much for your feedback.

Chapter Data- Word Count: 9,957. Total Editing Time: 515 minutes.

Harmless Author Fact #10: If you thought you recognized a joke earlier in the chapter (one pertaining to ovaries), then you've probably watched my favorite movie OF ALL TIME, _Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy._ I love that movie so much.

Take care, and I'll see you around!


	11. Volatility

Chapter 11: Volatility

Xion peered into Roxas's room, quietly slipping inside when she saw that he was still asleep. The bed covers rose and fell in a steady rhythm, hiding the figure comfortably resting beneath them. She tiptoed closer, standing a few feet from the side of the bed. She suppressed a giggle when she saw him: her best friend was a cuddler. The giant panda plush she won for him was trapped in his arms, pressed tightly against his chest.

Xion had to admit that Roxas was quite adorable when he slept.

"Well, time to ruin that." Xion said to herself before yelling a battle cry. She leapt onto the bed, attempting to emulate an earthquake. "It's morning, good morning!" Xion sang over and over.

Amidst the squeaking bed and Xion's obnoxious screaming, Roxas cracked his tired eyes open to see his best friend flailing on his bed. He groaned loudly. "Why are you waking me up?" The blond whined, burying his head underneath a few pillows.

Xion ripped them from his grasp. "Because I'm bored, Roxas! Entertain me!"

"It's… nine in the morning?" Roxas's eyes widened when he saw the clock. He fell back into bed, this time curling underneath the blanket. He brought his cuddle buddy with him. "Why are you doing this to me? I don't have to work today."

"Entertain me!" Xion threw herself on the lump underneath the covers. Roxas let out a grunt. "I see you're enjoying the panda. Have you named him yet?"

"It's a he?" The question came in a muffled voice below her.

"It can be whatever you want it to be."

"Well it smells like you, so that'd be awkward." Roxas shifted underneath the blanket, forcing Xion to readjust her position.

"I wasn't going to give it to you without washing it. That'd be gross."

"So… why are you here?" Roxas asked after a few seconds of silence.

"Riku had to pick up your brother 'cause they're doing that cleaning thing."

"What does Riku have to do with you being here?" He asked slowly.

"I met him for breakfast this morning for a date. It was actually at that café we always went to during the school year." Xion shrugged. She felt Roxas move again, this time to the end of the blanket. He threw it off, his blue eyes narrowed into a glare.

"Why would you do that?"

"Because he asked me out?"

"And you said yes?" The question left his lips laced with confusion and disapproval. Xion rolled her eyes.

"Of course I did. It was only breakfast."

"Well I don't like it." The blond said stubbornly. "If you need someone to hang out with, come here. What do you need Riku for?"

"Mornings, apparently." Xion replied smartly. "You were just complaining about me being here too early."

"Well then be normal and sleep in a little. Who goes on dates at eight in the morning?" Roxas grimaced, rubbing his face on the stuffed animal he held.

"We do." The conversation ended when Sora entered the room, already dressed for a long day outside.

"Hey! You're up, Roxas!"

"Unfortunately."

Sora gave his brother an apologetic smile— he was the one to let Riku and Xion in, after all— and walked over to the pair. "I think Riku and I are heading out soon. Are you guys coming with us?"

"I was planning on going back to sleep." Roxas mumbled. He hid under the covers once again.

"Will you get up already? As I recall, you have to be spending time with a certain someone." Xion grabbed Roxas's wrists and pulled him until he hung lazily over the edge of the bed.

"I'm already going to be spending my day with her though!"

Xion paused in surprise. "Really?" She turned to Sora with a did-you-know-about-this look.

The brunet shook his head.

Catching himself, Roxas quickly rolled back into bed. "Yeah. She… I offered her driving lessons. She's dangerous on the road."

"Uh-huh." Xion said slowly. She fiddled with one of the panda's ears. "How unlike you to offer someone free lessons…"

"It's nothing. I helped you and Sora learn how to drive too."

"While I concede the fact that you helped, I still can't get past the fact that you're helping someone you supposedly dislike." Xion said slyly. "Has something changed?"

"They went out to get ice cream together before coming home. Does that count?" Sora tilted his head.

"You got ice cream?" Xion asked excitedly. The body under the blanket squirmed, but remained silent. "You didn't tell me about that part!"

"None of your business." His reply was short, surely hiding an embarrassed face. "What does it matter? Nothing's different. She's still annoying."

"I think it's progress!" Xion threw herself on the lump she assumed to be Roxas and hugged it tightly. "Little Roxas is growing up!"

"Get off me!"

"I hate to interrupt the love fest here, but are you ready to go, Sora?" Xion and Sora turned to Riku, who stood at the door to Roxas's room with his arms crossed.

"Is Riku here now? Guess it's a party." Roxas grumbled just low enough for Riku not to hear. Xion pounded the lump under the blanket, earning a grunt of pain.

"He's a little cranky in the morning." Xion explained after seeing Riku's confused expression.

"I'd be cranky too if you woke me up like that." Riku observed. He turned to his best friend. "Kairi sent you a text saying she was ready to go."

"Really?" Sora checked his pockets, only to find that his phone was not on his person. He looked up at Riku just in time to catch the phone flying at him. He caught it easily. "Oh. Thanks for finding this."

"Yup." He turned to Xion. "Are you and Roxas coming with us?"

Xion looked at the lump beneath the blankets and shook her head. "I don't think so. You guys can go ahead."

Riku nodded. "All right. I'll see you guys at laser tag tonight." Sora got up to follow him out of the room, but they paused when Xion spoke up.

"Correction: you'll be seeing me at dinner tonight. Pick me up at seven?"

The boys blinked in surprise at Xion's forwardness. Riku nodded again.

"Uh, sure. See you."

"Bye!" She waved with a smile. Neither she nor Roxas moved until they heard the front door close.

"Dinner now? Are you serious?" Roxas threw his covers off in a huff. He appeared to be fully awake now.

"What? He offered. I declined before, but I changed my mind." Xion shrugged. She pushed off the bed, turning around at the door. "Oh don't give me that look. You don't own me."

"I don't, but I can still lock you in a basement somewhere." Roxas grumbled. The blond threw his covers aside and stretched. "You could prevent this event from happening if you call Riku and tell him that you can't go."

Xion shook her head, an amused smile on her face. "Shut up and get ready, Roxas. You have a driving lesson to give."

* * *

><p>Naminé sighed in relief as she finished placing the dishes in their correct places. The blonde woke up well before Sora and Riku came by to pick up Kairi. At her sister's request, Naminé prepared breakfast for everyone. However, Riku declined any food offered to him, citing an earlier breakfast as adequate fuel. As such, Naminé had more leftovers than she anticipated. She cooked for another <em>boy<em>, after all.

The sound of the doorbell rang through the house before Naminé could put the lone plate of breakfast food in the refrigerator. She immediately checked her outfit: Sora told her that Xion and Roxas were on the way, and Naminé made sure she wouldn't be caught in her pajamas by that time.

Satisfied with her attire, Naminé quickly made her way to the door, unlocking and pulling it open without checking. Her assumption proved to be correct.

The first thing that greeted her— besides Xion's wide smile— was a boyish groan. "Ugh, why are you awake?"

She blinked. However, before she could retort, Xion held her hand up and stepped into the house. "Ignore him. He's cranky this morning because he hasn't had any breakfast."

"I'm sleepy too, so can I go home now?"

Xion ignored him and pulled him inside. Naminé stepped aside, closing the door after they passed. "Well, thank you for bringing him to me. Now I have to deal with him too." Naminé rolled her eyes, getting a laugh out of Xion.

"That's what I do: dump my burdens on other people!" Xion clapped her hands together with a giggle. "Now that I've established that, I would like to follow it up with a request."

"I'm going to sleep, 'kay?" Roxas turned on his heel, but felt a hand hold him in place.

"I don't think Naminé gave you permission to sleep in her bed." Xion reminded. Roxas looked at Naminé before returning his gaze to his best friend.

"Well I'm not going to sleep in Kairi's room. I'll feel bad for sleeping in a bed that's made."

"Is your bed made?" Xion turned around to ask Naminé.

"Absolutely."

"Well, now I don't feel bad because it's Naminé's." His smirk was short-lived as Xion dug her nails into his shoulder.

"As I was saying," the words came out strained, most likely due to the amount of force her fingers were exerting on her poor friend's skin, "I was wondering if you had anything to eat for this child."

Naminé couldn't help but smile. Xion seemed to control Roxas so easily. "I have leftovers." The struggles immediately ceased; the mention of food seemed to pique his interest. "I don't know how they'll taste now, but Riku didn't eat anything. I think it'll be enough for him."

Roxas immediately deflated. "Wait, I'm getting Riku's leftovers? I'd rather starve."

"They're not his leftovers. He didn't touch them. And if you're not going to eat, I'll probably end up throwing it away."

Roxas didn't say anything; instead, he walked right past the girls and made his way into the kitchen.

Xion eyed her friend just to make sure he wasn't up to anything. When she saw him pop a plate in the microwave, she returned her attention to Naminé.

"So what will you be doing with the rest of your day?"

Naminé motioned Xion to follow her to her room. "I don't really have any plans. I'm doing chores for now, but besides that… nothing really. Why do you ask?"

Xion grinned. _Time to try that door-in-the-face technique. _"Well, I was wondering if you wanted to come with us to laser tag tonight. I mean, it's supposed to be just a few of us since paintball leaked to the group, but I don't think anyone would mind you around."

Naminé lifted her laundry basket, resting it on her hip as she stood in thought. "Uh, sure. I wouldn't mind watching."

"I was thinking more along the lines of playing." Xion grinned mirthfully. She followed Naminé to the laundry room. "Three on three is fun, but we only need to try that once."

Naminé shook her head. "I don't know… I get tired pretty easily."

Xion didn't drop her smile_._ "I guess that's okay. Will you at least come and watch us though? Sora, Riku and your sister are going against me, Roxas and Axel. I think you'd at least enjoy spectating."

Naminé smiled back. "I really don't have much else to do. Why not?"

"Great!" Xion cheered, both over the fact that Naminé was going and the fact that her persuasion technique actually worked. "It won't be until much later since it's a lot cheaper that way. I'm counting on seeing you there!"

"Are you leaving already?" Naminé turned around, closing the washer. "I thought you were going to stay a bit longer."

"Yeah, I gotta go to the hospital to visit—" Xion paused shortly, "— some patients. I volunteer there. There are a couple regulars there, so…"

"Regulars? Are you talking about injury-prone people or something?"

"Let's go with dialysis." Xion nodded. "Take care of Roxas for me."

"You're leaving him here?" Naminé asked quickly, almost worriedly.

"Yeah, I think I will. If you want him out of your hair as early as possible, you could always drive him home." Xion teased before walking off. "Roxas! I'm taking your car!"

"Huh?" Roxas grunted with a mouthful of food.

Naminé ran into the living room, following after her aloof visitor. "Xion!"

"I'll see you later, Naminé!" With that, Xion slipped out the door, leaving Naminé alone with Roxas.

The blonde slowly turned around, holding in a groan as she made eye contact with Roxas. The corners of his lips slowly twitched upward.

"What?" Naminé shifted, feeling insecure under his gaze.

"You cook surprisingly well for someone who has a personal chef to do it for her."

"I think you just complimented my cooking." Naminé fought down a smile.

"And I think I'm right in suggesting that you stay in the kitchen." Roxas shot back.

"Keep that up and you'll never taste my cooking again." Naminé approached the table, taking the seat directly across from Roxas. "I didn't really have to do anything to make that."

"You're a natural." Roxas finished the last of his blueberry pancake, obnoxiously flexing his jaw as he chewed. He held the empty plate out. "Well, I'm done."

Naminé narrowed her eyes. "What do you want me to do with it?"

"You're the hostess, I'm the guest." Roxas reasoned. "Give it a thought and you'll realize I'm right."

Naminé grudgingly took the plate from Roxas, glaring at him for smiling cockily. She placed the plate in the sink and left it there: she wouldn't give him the satisfaction of watching her clean up after him, even if it pained her to leave a dirty dish in the sink. When she turned around, Roxas was nowhere to be found.

"Roxas?" Naminé looked around the kitchen. She cautiously turned a corner, half-expecting him to jump out and scare her. He wasn't there. Naminé turned around and called his name again. Walking into the living room, Naminé looked left and right into the hallways that led to the bedrooms. All the doors were closed.

Naminé narrowed her eyes. If this was his idea of a prank, then the obvious conclusion was that Roxas sucked. How could he possibly disappear completely during the second she had her back turned?

The blonde first checked the hallway that led to the far wing of the house. She opened every door and peeked inside, but Roxas was nowhere to be found. She then eliminated every other hiding place: the laundry room, the bathroom, and the garage were all clear. She was that she locked her studio too, so that only left her room.

"Of course." Naminé groaned. Roxas _would_ go to her room for the sole reason that she didn't want him anywhere near it. She quickly approached her door, steeling herself for the possibility that he might be waiting for her to enter. Again, Naminé was met with silence. Instead, she found Roxas in her bed. He apparently took it upon himself to sleep wherever he pleased.

"I don't remember giving you permission to even come in here." Naminé drawled as she walked to her bed. She planned to kick him out, but paused when she found that he was actually asleep. The blonde's eyes widened in surprise. He must've been really tired if he fell asleep within moments of hitting the bed.

A small smile made its way to Naminé's face. She couldn't bring herself to shove the sleeping boy off her bed. Instead, she pulled the opposite side of the blanket and tossed it over his resting form.

"You better fix my bed when you wake up." Naminé whispered with a smile.

The door of her bedroom closed with a quiet click.

* * *

><p>"Have you seen Sora anywhere?"<p>

Kairi stopped what she was doing and gave Riku a hard look. "You mean you sent him back?"

"Yeah, like twenty minutes ago. I was already done unloading the boat."

Kairi wiped her forehead with her wrist, releasing a long sigh. She and her friends thought the best time to clean Play Island was before noon, a time when the air was cooler and the sun didn't shine as brightly. Kairi, however, forgot how hot it got regardless of time: heavy lifting plus warm weather equaled scorching heat and dehydration.

Sora either fainted somewhere— highly unlikely— or was hiding out in a cooler spot.

"Typical…" Kairi stared at her handiwork for a few seconds before returning her attention to Riku. "He's probably hiding somewhere. What do you say we take a short break and look for him?"

Riku glanced down at the bonfire circle they made. A few more bricks to raise the wall of the fire pit would suffice, but walking from the boat to the circle with heavy loads in hand really took its toll on him.

Sora could put the finishing touches on. After all, he and Kairi did the bulk of the work.

He smiled at his friend. "Lead the way. I trust your Sora senses." Riku teased as he walked over to Kairi.

"Oh stop." Kairi shook her head. "Let's check the shack. That lazy bum better had found something else to do." Kairi led Riku to the shoreline, avoiding the hot sand higher along the beach.

Riku easily kept up with her. "You alright, Kairi? You've been doing a lot of lifting."

Kairi smiled over his concern. "I'm fine. All this lifting is easy work when you have two boys helping."

"Sora hasn't done anything though."

"I know, but you do as much work as two guys anyway." Kairi teased. "In all seriousness, my biggest concern is my tan. I better not end up with ugly lines." Kairi tugged at the strings of her bikini top.

The tall boy rolled his eyes. "Why are girls always so worried about that?"

"Because it's a legitimate concern! What do you have to worry about? You don't have to wear strapless dresses or tube tops or anything that makes you look stupid. You guys can tear your shirt off and you're good to go." Kairi motioned at Riku's topless forms. "Society and its standards…"

"If you want to walk around topless, by all means…" Riku wrapped his arm over Kairi's shoulders and shook her teasingly.

Kairi threw his arm off, wiping the sweat off her. "Ew! You know that's not what I meant!"

"What did you mean then?"

"I'm talking about how guys don't have to worry about tan lines. You guys never wear shorts shorter than your swimming trunks, so it's never a problem."

Riku raised his shorts, noting the slightly lighter skin of his upper leg. "I suppose that's true, but I can easily rectify that by wearing my Speedo briefs."

Kairi grimaced. "Oh gosh. You actually own a pair?"

"Swim team, Kairi. These muscles didn't magically appear you know." Riku flexed jokingly, getting a giggle out of the redhead.

"Really? I thought you were born with a six pack and biceps of steel." She poked his chest. "But seriously, do everyone a favor and ditch the swimming briefs."

"I wear it for the ladies, Kairi."

"That's disgusting."

The pair walked along the watery sand until they reached the shack. Sprinting to the front door, they quickly slipped inside to avoid burning their feet. Sora was nowhere to be found on the first floor. Kairi looked around the small room with a smile. The familiar salty smell blowing in from outside filled the empty shack.

"It seems to get smaller and smaller every time I come in here."

"At least Sora cleaned it up a little." Riku observed as he walked around. He tested the lone ladder that led to the upper floor. "Think he went up?"

"Probably." Kairi replied absently, gazing out the window. "Do you remember the games we played as kids? You two would always make me wait upstairs and watch from the window as you two raced to me."

"We were knights on a quest to rescue a princess." Riku slowly walked over and stood next to Kairi.

"I recall you always beating Sora."

"I don't know…" Riku dragged his last word with a smile. "I think he won the last one."

Kairi, oblivious to what Riku actually meant, merely giggled. "Good for him. He used to get so worked up when you guys competed."

"We still do if you put us on opposite teams. It's much better if we're on the same side." Riku peered up the small opening in the roof. "Why don't you go check upstairs?"

"Too scared to climb the old ladder?" Kairi asked with mirthful eyes.

"I'll check somewhere else, thank you." Riku pulled the door open, using extra force when it stuck. "I'll have this fixed by tomorrow too."

Kairi looked upward, inspecting each rung of the ladder carefully. When she decided that all of them would hold her weight, she firmly grasped the sides and stepped onto the first step. She confidently climbed up, earning only a wooden moan on the second highest rung.

She pulled herself up, using her arms to lift the rest of her weight onto the floor. She sat in the middle of the room and looked around, smirking when she found Sora's sleeping figure on the far side of the room. As quietly as possible, Kairi crawled her way over until she knelt directly behind him.

Despite her many options and ideas, Kairi sat still for a moment, awed over Sora's ability to fall asleep anywhere at any time. She mused to herself, entertaining thoughts that her boyfriend might actually be narcoleptic. Was it safe to wake a narcoleptic up that quickly though? What if he really did suffer from the affliction?

Or maybe he was just a lazy bum. That was infinitely more likely.

"Wake up, Sora!" Kairi said airily. She shook him for extra waking power.

The sleeping boy released a slow groan. "Just ten more minutes…"

The redhead rolled her eyes. "You're sleeping on a hard wood floor. Why do you even _want_ ten more minutes?"

"No, I didn't fail that test." Sora replied sleepily. He slipped right back into the dream world.

Kairi raised her brow, not knowing what to make of his response. Maybe he never truly woke up. "Sora, come on! Wake up!" Kairi threw herself across his body, her abdomen resting across his own. Sora woke up with a wonderfully winded feeling.

"K-Kairi…" Sora complained, drawing a few large breaths.

Giggling in her success, Kairi quickly crawled over Sora, making sure to press her whole weight on him before settling on the other side of him. "I'm surprised that worked!" She hovered over his face with a wide smile.

"Have you ever tried to sleep without breathing? It's impossible." Sora rolled onto his side, facing Kairi. "I woke up to see you, not to do work."

"Well I came here to get some things done, so if you work, you get to see me!" Kairi shrugged as if there was no choice to be made. "Win-win situation for both of us."

"I'm not going to work if I don't have to. Exhibit A: my girlfriend is currently right here in front of me, half-naked, hot, and sweaty. I'm not working either. Wouldn't you say I succeeded? This is win-win for me." Sora waggled his eyebrows in amusement.

"You called me your girlfriend." Kairi said in surprise.

The smile on Sora's face dropped slightly before becoming even wider. "I haven't before? That's strange. You _are_ my girlfriend after all." Sora snaked an arm around Kairi's waist and pulled her to him. "Isn't that right?"

"Yeah…" Kairi said quietly. She rested her weight on Sora, using one of her hands to stay balanced.

"Mmhmm." Slowly, Kairi drew closer and closer to Sora's face. "You never called me your boyfriend."

"You should already know that you are."

"Got that right." Sora smiled, running a finger down the side of Kairi's face. "This is perfect, isn't it?"

A smile slowly made its way onto the redhead's features. "I suppose…" she slowly stroked Sora's face before abruptly pushing away. "But it's not."

Sora frowned in disappointment. "Why not?"

"Well for one thing, you turned on the romance rather fast. There's a motive behind that."

"I can't kiss you when I want?"

"Was that what you were going for?" Kairi pressed a finger to her chin in thought. "I would have kissed you too if I knew you weren't trying to grab a couple extra minutes of sleep."

"I wasn't—" Sora cut himself off when Kairi gave him a hard look. He sighed in defeat, but smiled mischievously. "Fine. I was trying to get you to stay here with me for a while. Can you blame me?"

"We're supposed to be working, Sora."

"But wouldn't you rather be sleeping here with your boyfriend?" Sora complained. He rolled onto his back and stared at the ceiling.

"If only everything went our way…" Kairi muttered as she stood. Her hand shot out, waiting for Sora to take it. "Come on, you lazy bum. No more tricks from you. It's time to get this over with."

"Can I at least get a kiss?"

"If you stand."

After a short pause, Sora reluctantly took Kairi's hand and picked himself up. He looked at Kairi expectantly, only to receive a peck on the cheek.

"There you go!"

The boy wrapped his arms around his girlfriend's waist. "I was thinking more along the lines of—"

"You won't be getting one unless we're all done with things here." Kairi gave Sora a squeeze before separating. "Is that motivating enough? The sooner we finish things here, the better!"

"You drive such a hard bargain."

"Oh please. Get those garbage bags there and take 'em to the boat. We still have quite a few things to clean up!"

* * *

><p>"And this is what I get for being nice to him." Naminé stuffed her pillowcases into her washer, a look of clear annoyance etched onto her face. Roxas managed to wake up after two hours and appeared to be well-rested for the driving lesson.<p>

That lesson would have started if he hadn't drooled all over one of Naminé's pillows. And since it was part of a matching set, Naminé had to wash it all at the same time. The wash would clean her sheets of his germs anyway, which were clearly less desirable than regular germs.

"Naminé, I just did you a favor!" Roxas called from outside the laundry room. "Do you like puppies and horses?"

"Yes, Roxas. I also happen to be in the mood to talk about it too." Naminé replied impatiently. His good mood was starting to irk her.

"Well, I just added that to your lists of likes on your profile! Oh, and you're also part of a new group that advocates the legalization of bestiality."

Naminé threw her head back and groaned. What did she do to deserve this? When did she ever do something that warranted this torture?

"Help me…" Naminé whined, stomping her way to the living room. Roxas lay cozily on the sofa, her tablet situated horizontally in his hands. "Give me that!" She snapped.

"Hey!" Roxas unsuccessfully tried to take the device back.

Naminé turned on her heel, walking into her bedroom. She gritted her teeth when she read over Roxas's actions.

_You are now a fan of butts, more butts, booty, dat ass, junk in the trunk—_

"Are you freaking kidding me?" Naminé pinched the bridge of her nose He had the tablet for two minutes. _Two_.

"If you don't like any of those things, you might want to clear your status…" Roxas said cheekily. "You are, after all, announcing that you like the smell of your own farts."

"Why must you always do this?"

"Well if you gave me more time, I would've looked at all the cool features on that thing." Roxas replied shortly. "Are you done with your laundry yet? I'm bored."

Naminé slowly flexed her jaw. He was probably doing this on purpose. He knew he was irritating her, and he was just pushing the envelope in typical Roxas fashion.

"Why don't we start the driving lesson _now_ then?" Naminé placed her tablet on her bed and pushed Roxas out of her room. She quickly closed the door.

Roxas stretched his arms above his head, yawning loudly in Naminé's face. "I don't really feel like it."

"Get in the car." The small girl ordered. Roxas blinked once before silently heading off to the garage. A sigh escaped the blonde's lips. Listening: that was progress right there.

To her relief, Roxas was sitting in the passenger's seat of her car by the time she entered the garage. After opening the large metal door, Naminé entered her car with a sigh. She looked to Roxas expectantly.

He only stared back. "What?"

"Do you have anything to say?"

"No." Roxas frowned. "Should I?"

"Isn't this a lesson?"

"Well, yeah." Roxas scratched the back of his head. "I kind of figured that you knew what to do before taking the car out of park."

"Oh." Naminé pressed her lips together, buckling in and starting the car. She adjusted her mirrors, remembering that Roxas was the last person to drive it.

"This is the first driving lesson between Naminé and me. If you are watching this, then I am either dead, in a coma, or laughing along with you. If it is in fact the second, then pull the plug if applicable. I never really liked any of you anyway." Naminé looked over to see Roxas talking to a small camcorder, holding it so that both of them appeared in the shot. "Oh, look! She's looking at the camera. Say hi, Nami— hey!"

Naminé snatched the camcorder and quickly popped the batteries out. She threw them to a corner of the garage.

"Those were fresh batteries!" Roxas whined.

"Are you serious right now? What has gotten into you?" Naminé glared at him, her eyes narrowed to slits. "You're supposed to teach me how to drive, not video log the whole thing like it's some kind of joke!"

"Well it would help if you actually _started _driving." Roxas growled before pushing the gear into reverse. Naminé huffed, but quickly backed out of the garage and turned out of her driveway. "Turn on the air. I'm hot."

"Where am I supposed to go?"

"Drive around the neighborhood. I don't care. Just drive."

Naminé shifted the car into drive. "Where and when does the lesson start?"

Roxas looked up before shrugging. "I dunno. Just drive. Let's go! Take that foot off the brake!"

"Where am I supposed to drive?"

"Anywhere!"

"I'm not moving until you tell me!"

"Yeah you are." Roxas reached over and pulled Naminé's leg off the brake. The car bounced forward before coming to an abrupt stop as Naminé pressed her foot against it quickly.

"Hey! You can't just lift people's legs like that!"

"I just did. Now drive!"

"Where?"

"Are you the one teaching this lesson? No, you're not! So stop talking and start driving!" Roxas shot back. Naminé glared at him, her gaze unwavering, before slowly relenting and lifting her foot off the brake. They began moving forward.

"I'm not doing this again." Naminé snapped as she made a turn that would lead out of her neighborhood. "You're an awful teacher."

"I think you're just a bad student. I'm not the one with an illegally-obtained license here. You are."

"Well you are doing _nothing_ to help me drive. In fact, you've been doing nothing but making it worse." Naminé retorted angrily. She turned onto the main freeway. "See? And now I'm here and I don't know where to go."

"Well I guess you better drive _somewhere_." Roxas crossed his arms, his face set in a stoic stare forward.

"This is ridiculous." Naminé complained. She veered into a turning lane, glancing over her shoulder to make sure she wasn't cutting anyone off. "This is such a waste of gas. You're supposed to be helping me."

"Then follow this road." Roxas replied shortly. He then flipped the air conditioning off. "Open your window."

"Why? It's hot outside."

"We'll save gas this way, since you're so concerned about that." Roxas brought his own window down, simultaneously opening the sunroof. "If you get hot, just drive faster. We'll get more wind that way." Roxas said with a cheeky grin.

"Great." The driver rolled her eyes. "It's either break the law and be comfortable or drive in this ridiculous heat."

"The light's green." Roxas pointed out. "Hurry up. The sooner we get to the park, the better."

"Are we going to practice in the parking lot or something?" Naminé stole a quick glance at Roxas, hoping to get something concrete out of him.

"Oh. Something like that. Sounds good." Roxas nodded.

"Are you serious? That wasn't already in your plan?"

"Who plans stuff like that?" Roxas's brows furrowed. "Just concentrate on driving."

The pair fell into silence as they made their way to the coast. Apparently they chose to drive at a time of heavy pedestrian traffic: large groups of people walked by at every light and crosswalk, dressed in their suits and work uniforms. Naminé had almost hit a woman had she not noticed Roxas hitting the air brakes well before the intersection. Amazingly enough, her instructor managed to keep silent. She was both relieved and disappointed at the same time.

When they finally reached the park, Roxas pointed to a small parking lot across the park. For the most part, the lot was empty; only the row closest to the park had cars that were adjacently parked.

"Park there." Roxas nodded in the direction of the empty row of spaces on their left. Naminé brought the car into the spot, parking after straightening her wheel.

She looked to Roxas expectantly. "Well now what?"

"The lines of these parking spaces are rectangles. You only parked correctly if your wheels are aligned outside the rectangles. Do you think you parked correctly?"

Naminé shrugged. "I figured it didn't really matter since we're the only car in this row."

"Check then." Roxas opened his door, looking down. Naminé did the same, delighted to see that she was well outside the rectangle.

"I'm fine on this side!"

"Not on this." Roxas closed his door. "Back up and do it again."

Naminé repeated the process, parking a few spaces down. Her second attempt placed the car a little to the left this time.

"Do you understand what you're doing wrong?" Roxas raised a brow when Naminé messed up her fourth attempt.

"I'm not parking in the lines."

"You're either undershooting or overshooting the spot. This time, I want you to widen your turn by turning right slightly, and then bring the car in."

"All right…" Naminé released a sigh of frustration as she backed out of the parking space. Keeping Roxas's words in mind, she pulled to the right slightly before parking the car. Almost dreadfully, Naminé opened her door. She smiled when she saw that she was just inside the parking spot. "I'm clear on this side."

"This side too." Roxas announced as he peered out the window. "I knew that would work."

"Because you're an elite driver, right?"

"Something like that." Roxas grinned confidently. "Let's try it from a different side so that you're turning right into the parking spot instead of left."

Naminé repeated the same procedure, sweating slightly from the heat that flowed into the car. Right before she parked, she widened her turn and pulled the car in. Her first attempt was a success.

"Yes!" She cheered. "I think I have parking down."

"Look at you, getting all cocky because you can park. You're supposed to be able to do that _before_ you get your license, you know." Roxas teased.

"Don't rain on my parade. This is progress. I'm getting better."

"Which speaks volumes about my teaching skills, don't you think?"

"I'll give you credit when I feel confident in my driving skills." Naminé shrugged. "Can we put the windows up already? It's so hot outside…"

"Go ahead." Roxas turned the air conditioning to the highest setting. "Speaking of confidence, I think that's something you're missing. Half of your driving problems would disappear if you were a little more confident."

"What are you talking about?"

"Think about it." Roxas held up a hand. "Do you remember having any problems before we fell quiet?"

"Wasn't there that one time— huh. No… no, I guess I didn't." Naminé realized slowly. "How?"

"I don't know. Maybe because you were bitching at me the whole time." Roxas chuckled. He stopped when he saw that the driver didn't find his joke as funny as he did. "Whatever. Point is, I kept you slightly distracted. You were distracted so that you weren't thinking about getting into an accident, but at the same time, you were focused enough to drive safely."

"So I need to be distracted to drive safely? That sounds backwards."

"Yes, but you're also a distracted driver. What do you think about while you drive?" Roxas asked, hoping to pick her brain.

Naminé pressed her lips together in thought. "I'm trying not to run into anyone. I'm trying to remember to check my mirrors every now and then, and I'm hoping that nobody notices how nervous I am behind the wheel." The blonde wiped her forehead with the back of her hand. "Guess I am a little distracted…"

"It's a good intention, but you do a crappy job with handling it all." Roxas shrugged. "Just drive a little more confidently. Come on. I want you to park in between those two cars." Roxas indicated the only spot in the lot with cars on either side.

Keeping Roxas's words in mind, Naminé drove over to a more crowded area of the lot. She repeated the parking maneuver Roxas had shown her, but stopped when the front of her car looked like it was about to hit another car in the spot next to hers.

"Am I going to hit that?" Naminé asked as she peered over the dashboard. She looked _awfully close_ to making contact.

"I don't know. Are you?" Roxas asked with the slightest of smiles.

"I think I am."

"Wrong!" Roxas reached over, turning the wheel as far as he could. "Take your foot off the brake." He ordered soon after.

"Are you sure?" Naminé asked worriedly. She wasn't convinced that she'd clear it.

"Yes. Trust me."

The driver tilted her head with a sardonic smirk. "See, that sounds really simple if you don't apply the context. You might as well have said 'pretend the past sixteen years didn't happen' in its place."

"Just do it." Roxas chuckled. Naminé, with an agonizingly slow rate, lifted her foot off the brake. Their car seemed to easily slide into the spot. "Told you."

"How did we get away with that?" She seemed almost amazed that they didn't hit another car.

"Instinct, I guess. It would help if you were familiar with your own car. And maybe a little confidence too." Roxas added with a shrug. "Just saying."

"It looked like I was going to hit the car! Better safe than sorry, right?"

The boy grunted derisively. "Better to be right."

"That pretty much explains why we don't get along."

"What?"

"Never mind." The driver rolled her eyes, biting her lip to keep from giggling. "What's next?"

"We're doing that again, of course." With a sigh, Roxas placed his elbow on the armrest of his door and leaned against his hand. "Try doing this with a little more faith in yourself. Don't second guess unless it looks close."

"Easier said than done…" Naminé mumbled. The car backed out of the spot. The driver took one round around the parking lot before retreating to the same spot, this time turning from a different side. Again, Naminé stopped when she was halfway inside the spot. "I don't know…"

"Look at it. Can you turn the wheel more? IS your car small enough to make this turn tight enough?"

Naminé inched forward a bit, hoping to see how tight her turn was. It didn't help. _Try being a little more confident_. "I think I'll make it." She eased the pressure on the brake.

"No!" Roxas shrieked. The car came to quick stop as he pulled the emergency brake. "Are you insane?"

"What did I do?" Naminé looked to her instructor, confusion painted all over her face.

"You're not going to make that! Did you not listen to my questions?"

"I thought you were telling me to have a little more faith in myself!"

"Yeah, but not when you're blatantly wrong!" Roxas pointed to the front of the car. "Does that look like it'll go forward without hitting this car?"

"It looks exactly the same as last time. I made that." Naminé said stubbornly. "How do you know I won't make this one?"

"Do you wanna bet on it? Park the car and watch what happens if I move up a little more." Roxas argued.

"Fine, fine." Naminé released the emergency brake and reversed the car. She easily slid into the spot with a forward direction. "Then I'll just do that every time."

"I don't think you would have passed your driving test with that." Roxas calmed a little, sinking into his seat. "I think that's enough for today. Turn off the car."

Naminé had no idea why they were actually parking, but she obeyed. "Aren't we going home?"

Roxas unbuckled his seat belt. "Not right now. I didn't have you drive me to the park for just driving lessons."

* * *

><p>Having long finished their island cleaning tasks, Kairi, Sora and Riku sat at the edge of their mini island. As kids, they'd always refer to the rock as 'the baby island,' characterized by the lone palm tree that insisted that growing horizontally was all the rage back in the old days. Unfortunately, it would be the societal equivalent of "that one person who tried to start a trend and failed to convince anyone to tag along, and therefore looked extremely noticeable in the crowd." Still, Kairi and her friends made the tree their own. The bent palm was <em>their<em> territory on Play Island.

Maybe the misfit palm had something going for it after all.

"Instead of seeing who can catch the bigger fish, why don't we change it so that it's about who _can_ catch a fish?" Kairi groaned. She lay across the trunk of their tree, watching Riku and Sora waiting patiently for a bite. The two boys sat on the edge of their little rock, backs to Kairi and feet dangling over the edge.

"You'll scare away the fish if you keep talking." Riku hushed.

"We've been here for thirty minutes already!" the redhead whined. "And it is _so freaking hot_. Can't you guys do this on your own time?"

"I thought we were all going back a couple hours before laser tag." Sora turned around to face his girlfriend. "Or did I miss something?"

"That was before I knew it was going to get this hot." Fanning herself with a notepad, Kairi pulled herself into a sitting position. "I finished my list a while ago. I'm pretty sure Selphie alone could bring all this stuff."

"Not the food. I'm telling you, Kairi, that is _not_ enough food for everyone." Riku chided, reeling in his empty line.

"How is this not enough? You mean to tell me we're going to need more than ten boxes of pizza?"

"At least fifteen. The more food the better. Plus, with everyone drinking, food is a good thing." Sora shrugged.

"Hopefully it doesn't end up on the sand by the end of the night." Riku chuckled. "More food means it's harder to get drunk, as long as you're eating a lot." Riku turned to Kairi with a smile. "Unless, of course, you _want_ everyone to get wasted."

"You caught me." Kairi said sarcastically. After looking over her list for the umpteenth time— she made a small edit on the number of pizzas to buy without telling either of the boys— Kairi grew tired of playing the waiting game. It was time for this stupid show match to end. "Hey boys, anyone catch anything yet?"

"Soon." Sora insisted as he slowly turned the reel of his fishing rod. "I can feel it."

"Well reel in, guys. As referee, I'm declaring a sudden death match."

"Sudden death? That sounds way more violent than it should."

"Fine. Overtime… or something. Whatever!" Kairi grew flustered when the boys laughed at her. "It's a winner-take-all situation now since you guys are taking too long."

"What's the rush?" Riku raised a brow.

"I need to get home and shower." Kairi reasoned.

"You're going to be playing laser tag later. You're going to get all sweaty again.

"So I'll shower after that too. Point is, this heat is too much. It's time to end this match by declaring a winner or declaring it a tie."

"A tie? But I'm winning!" Sora complained.

"How are you winning when nothing has happened?" Riku challenged. "If anyone is winning, it's me."

"Are you kidding me? I bet I'm a lot closer to catching something than you are. I can feel it."

"Yeah, I'm sure."

"Enough already!" Kairi interrupted their argument by stepping between them. "Reel in. One final cast to determine it all!"

The boys obeyed with a begrudging silence. Unknown to Kairi, shit just got real. The two boys glared at each other, hoping to prove the other wrong.

"You're going down."

"You're all talk, aren't you?"

"Lines ready?" Kairi ignored the banter and ran back to the tree. She didn't want to get caught by any of their hooks. "Prepare to cast in three—"

"Two." Riku counted off, his eyes trained in a fixed stare.

"One." Sora stared back with equal intensity, his arm bent at the elbow.

"Cast!" Kairi called. The boys simultaneously threw their lines out.

"My cast went farther." Riku said proudly.

"Good. You'll need the extra space and time." Sora grinned. Kairi noticed the boys fell into a silent concentration. They slowly turned their reels, hoping to tempt a bite. After a few moments, the tip of Riku's fishing rod twitched.

The taller boy sent a cocky smirk in Sora's direction. Just as he did, Sora's own fishing rod twitched. Sora smirked back.

"Oh great." Kairi mumbled under her breath. At the same time, both of their lines caught, quickly becoming taut as they each hooked a fish.

"Yes! This one is mine!"

"Let's see you talk after you see what I reel in!" Sora shot at Riku. The two boys skillfully reeled their catch, pulling and tiring the fish like they had done so many times before.

"Well? Where are they?" Kairi ran over, looking over the edge with eager eyes.

"Almost got it…"

"Here!"

The two boys brought their catch over the water at the same time. Neither of them looked at their catch as they declared their victory.

"I win!"

"Another win for me!"

"Uh, guys…"

"I reeled mine in faster!"

"That's because my cast went farther! Big deal!"

"Then that means I win 'cause I didn't have to go as far!"

"This is probably the saddest catch I've ever seen by anyone." Kairi cut in, pulling their lines in front of them. "Will you take a look at these beauties? You boys are too good."

Riku and Sora blinked in surprise They didn't expect the fish to be so…

"Why are they so small?" Sora asked, slightly horrified. He looked at Riku's fish as well. It wasn't any better.

"That… was a lot heavier than it looks." Riku finished lamely. He too looked at Sora's, coming to an immediate conclusion. "But I win. My fish is bigger."

Sora was quick to challenge. "Yeah right! Mine is way bigger than yours! Kairi, show him again!" The brunet turned to the redhead, only to watch her toss their small trophies back into the sea.

"Huh?" Kairi turned innocently, her hands now empty. "I thought you were done with those! My bad!"

"Aww, Kairi!" Riku and Sora ran over to the edge, looking at the water with disappointed frowns. "How am I supposed to put Sora in his place now?"

"I think you meant to thank her for saving you some embarrassment!" Sora pointed accusingly. "I definitely won that!"

"How about a tie?" Kairi only received a loud decline. She shrugged in defeat. "I tried."

"Well with this, my streak improves to _ten_." The taller boy crossed his arms proudly.

"Oh no you don't! I backed down last time because it was close, but not this one. _I_ won that." Sora stomped his foot defiantly.

While the boys were arguing, Kairi shimmied out of her shorts and looked over the edge. Walking back to the bent tree, Kairi pulled her hair up and made sure her bathing suit would stay in place for the impact. "Boys?"

"Mine was like, twenty pounds!"

"Like that's believable! That little _minnow_ was hardly an ounce!"

"Boys!" Kairi yelled loudly. The two quarreling friends turned to Kairi in shock.

"When did she do that?" Riku turned to Sora.

"I don't know." Sora said, his words turning into a jumbled mess.

"Come here. Now." Kairi beckoned the two with her finger. Riku and Sora would've gladly listened had she not looked so… angry.

"Did we do something wrong?" Riku looked to Sora with hopeless eyes.

"Am I in trouble?" Sora in turn looked to Kairi like a scared puppy.

"No. But both of you are fighting like a bunch of little kids. You guys are _sixteen_. Nobody cares how many fish you guys catch."

"Okay."

"So you two are coming with me." Kairi linked each of her arms in Sora's and Riku's. "We're all on the same team here. Let's go together."

"Huh?"

"What is she talking about—" Sora didn't have enough time to answer his question as Kairi pulled them off the mini island, leaping out with enough force to drag the two with them. They all hit the water with a loud splash. One by one, the friends broke the surface, each of them clearing the water from their eyes.

"That jump was a lot scarier as a kid, huh?" Kairi looked at her friends with a wide smile. "I remember how you guys would always have to convince me to jump. I never did it unless you _both_ jumped with me."

"Well, look at yourself now." Riku laughed, treading the water fluidly. "You seemed to be just fine."

"Are you kidding me?" Kairi swam over to Sora, placing her hands on his shoulders. "I'm braver than I was, but I still like to take you guys with me for the jump."

"You know that we'll gladly come to your side for help, but next time, a little warning would be nice." Sora turned himself around, facing Kairi. Clear drops of water fell from the tips of his hair.

"I thought a surprise was more appropriate. Now swim me back to shore!" Kairi ordered giddily.

Riku swam over to them, a glint in his eye as he nudged Sora. "Race you to shore."

"You're on! Kairi, can you—"

She shook her head, leaving no room for debate. "No. No more racing."

Sora gave Riku an apologetic look. "Sorry man. My lady has spoken."

Riku shrugged. "I'd make a joke about how whipped you are, but then I'd be making fun of your friendship."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

Kairi placed a kiss on Sora's wet cheek. "It means that you always listen to what I say, Sora. Now come on! Swim me to shore like you used to."

Sora folded into a perfect breaststroke, water bubbling at his mouth. A small whine escaped from the water. "You mean I've always been whipped?"

* * *

><p>"Pretty much." Roxas answered the driver's question. "You should see where some of the girls look when they talk to him. It's disgusting."<p>

After spending an hour at the park, Naminé and Roxas drove home with the former behind the wheel. Roxas made sure to talk to Naminé the whole way back.

And it wasn't because he actually _liked_ talking to her. He merely… valued his life. Naminé drove better— as best as she could, at least— when she had something to whine or complain about. Because that's all she did, really. Whine and complain and nag.

Or at least, that's what Roxas kept telling himself every time they found something to laugh about.

Regardless, Roxas's endeavor was nothing but successful. Save for a botched U-turn, Naminé made it home without scaring the little girl out of Roxas. It was both an ego-boost and slightly disappointing at the same time.

Home and safe, the teacher and student made their way to the living room as they waited for a laundry load to finish. Naminé insisted that they wait out the dryer cycle, citing a fear that the device might explode the one day they leave it running with nobody around. The time was thus filled with more idle conversation.

"Poor Sora."

"More like 'poor Kairi.' She's the one that has to deal with it."

"That's so gross!"

"It's only a rumor." Roxas snickered. "Sora just leaves himself susceptible to that stuff."

"What I want to know is how Sora's… _package_ became the topic of the school. Did some of the boys in the locker room sneak a peek or something?"

"I doubt it. If you ask me, it's just a rumor to complement his kissing reputation." Roxas fell onto the couch with a sigh. How in the world did a conversation about overloaded washers turn into something about Sora and Kairi?

_Oh._

"How vulgar…" Naminé shivered. She didn't understand how Sora could maintain that happy persona when so many people teased him. Perhaps it had to do with the fact that none of the rumors were really offensive. Being known as an amazing kisser isn't exactly something to be ashamed of, and most teenage boys she knew would be happy if their reason for fame was their large package.

"Ew. You're thinking about Sora now, aren't you?" Roxas looked at Naminé is disgust.

"What? No I am not!" Naminé blushed fiercely. She wasn't before, but now… well, tell someone not to think about a pink elephant and something happens. "I was just… wondering how Sora puts up with everything! And besides, Sora is _Kairi's_. We may be twins, but we're quite different."

"That I can agree with." Roxas grunted. He pulled out his phone and checked the time.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Naminé narrowed her eyes. That accusatory tone of his never failed to get on her nerves.

"You and Kairi are light-years apart. She's nice, fun to talk to, easy to become friends with. You're also a lot louder than she is."

"Are you kidding me? Kairi's the one that gets all the attention for being the loud one, not me!" Naminé insisted. "And what are you talking about? I'm nice and easy to get along with too. Given, of course, that the person I'm talking to does not have the personality of a rock." Naminé flipped her hair back, throwing her legs over the side of the recliner she sat in.

"You know a person who has a personality like that? Clearly you're speaking about someone from your school. A teacher, perhaps."

"Oh, _clearly._" Naminé mocked with a smile. "You're brimming with charm and you brighten up whatever room you walk into."

"Wow. It only took you sixteen years to realize how awesome I am."

"I remember why I avoided your presence as much as possible." The conversation was interrupted by the single of the completed dryer cycle. Naminé immediately hopped out of her chair, with Roxas following closely behind.

"Hey." Roxas leaned against the door frame of the laundry room, crossing his arms. "You said _avoided_."

"Your point?" Naminé bent down to gather her clean sheets.

"It's past tense. What changed?"

"I could ask you the same thing." Naminé brushed past him and threw her belongings on her bed. "I remember you did your best to avoid me too. That worked for us."

"I have my reasons. Can't exactly tell you either." Roxas slowly walked over and helped Naminé fix her bedspread. "So what about yours?"

"I'm hoping to break you so that you make every effort possible to leave me alone." Naminé said with a closed-lip grin.

"You're lying." Roxas pointed out. "Besides, if that _was_ your goal, then I'll be the one to break the news to you: you're failing."

"I haven't even been here for a month." Naminé shot back. "Let's see if you'll be saying the same thing by the end of this summer."

"If only that was your real goal here." Roxas flicked the bed sheet, spreading it out. "And even if it was, you're failing miserably."

Namine clicked her tongue. "You say that now… but I suppose we'll see, won't we?"

Roxas stepped up to the challenge, his eyes capturing hers with the same intensity. "I guess we will."

* * *

><p><strong>Redeeming Endeavor:<strong> Thank you so much to all of you who favorited or subscribed to LPA or myself! I'm really grateful that so many people are still subscribing to the story. Thank you so much.

I'd also like to point out some individuals who took the time to review and encourage me with steadfast dedication. Thank you, **Dramamamapwnsall, PEANUT v1.2, BruHaeven, Lupus7, Spellbound a.k.a soragirl4ever, Handwritten, Draco Oblivion, ResoluteResolve, GreyPurpleBlack, Ash09, sora93kairi, TwinToshiro, Shan, Zoe the Hunter, LightSky, chibixbabe, Hegodart, Gear001, TalesOfStuf, elspoek1, Snazzy Elle, Topaz Tsubasa, Stonekipsta, Shire Folk, Gumi Harue, spadejackspade, Jagged girl, roxasXnamine-ftw, randomwriter19, Claymore Person, LoveLife45, Half-Dragon Hero, typewrite, ChocoIsu, Pink Star Art, Cool Haruhiism-follower, PatheticalyInLove/happy reader, Wishful-Thoughts, Yssa B, luckynumbereight, JCX, zestycrouton, Morgead'sgirl, continue (lol), PlushieBunny, TheCrazyAnimeFan, **and** Random Reader.** I can't believe the amount of response I got. Thanks so much!

Chapter Data: Total Editing Time- 810 minutes. Word Count- 9,585. Ten Chapter Checkpoint: 115 favorites, 114 alerts, 286 Writing Time-5859 minutes (97.66 hours). True Word Count- 75,180.

Harmless Author Fact #11: I did IB in high school.

Take care, everyone! I'll see you around.


	12. Conjugates

Chapter 12: Conjugates

Xion sat comfortably in a booth, her thoughts drifting to a certain blond-haired boy. A smile tugged her lips. It always showed itself when her best friend was on her mind. She idly played with a straw wrapper as a few memories replayed in her mind. She and Roxas came to this restaurant at least once a month. It was his favorite, and he made quick work of making it one of hers.

The best part was the bread bowl; it just also happened to be the free part of dinner. He'd say it all the time as if she needed to be reminded.

That didn't happen this time, and it was an odd feeling not hearing those words uttered when the bread rolls had arrived. Still, Xion smiled. She employed the line herself, filling Riku in like it was something only known between her and Roxas.

_Riku. _The name seemed to drop in her mind and send ripples through the images of her memories. _That's right. I'm here with Riku, not Roxas,_ Xion reminded herself.

She never thought she'd have a different boy sitting across from her at this restaurant, much less on a date. A small part of her wished he was someone else.

"No." Xion whispered to herself. That was it. She always had to remind herself not to let her thoughts stray from her control. Entertaining the very notion of Roxas liking her the way she liked him would only make things harder for her.

She squeezed her eyes shut, trying to replace Roxas with Riku in her mind. It was something much easier done if he was around. Until he got back, her thoughts would be plagued with Roxas's presence.

Xion never made the effort to hide the fact that she liked Roxas, but she never really had to. Most people confused them for the two friends who were awfully intimate with each other, and most believed them when they asserted they didn't have feelings for each other. Xion knew she was the liar of the two, but the guilt never appeared or affected her.

The truth was that she had liked Roxas from the very first day. It didn't help that he stubbornly and persistently knocked at the walls Xion threw up to keep people at bay. She always told herself that growing close to someone would only be a painful experience for both parties once her life started falling apart. And Xion was very aware that it would start collapsing at the worst possible time. It was both too much time to nurture a friendship and too little a time to sever one. It would leave their friendship at some sort of peak, holding it at high enough a height to make it as painful as possible.

But Xion couldn't deny herself. She wanted friends. She wanted human contact. She couldn't help but wish she had that friend to talk to. She tried to ignore the urge. She wanted both her walls to hold and collapse at the same time. She didn't want to be selfish, but at the same time she craved someone's company.

Roxas just had to come along and tear the defenses down.

Not only that, but he introduced her to his friends as well. She grew close to his other best friend Axel in no time. Sora probably ranked behind those two, with the rest an indistinguishable mixture.

But then Riku had to come along and separate himself from the pack.

It wasn't his fault though. She was the one who stumbled onto him with the help of dumb luck.

Being someone who was plagued by unrequited love herself, Xion recognized a hurting heart with utmost accuracy. She noticed the smaller things when he talked to Sora about their mutual friend. It wasn't until spring break did Xion recognize the source of Riku's hurt: Kairi.

It was strikingly obvious to Xion how much Sora and Kairi liked each other. It had to have been obvious to Riku as well. So when Riku finally let his guard down— something he only did when he was alone— Xion found him. She wasn't supposed to, but she did.

The result was an accidental friendship. Who knew that two people could bond so well over similar situations?

Riku was just as persistent as Roxas. There was no denying that an attraction grew between them over the past few months. At the same time, both were aware that they weren't first choice in the other's heart. Xion never fathomed she would find herself in such a twisted romance. It was one of the many things Xion was trying to avoid: useless teenage drama.

This summer was the epitome of confusing, starting with the way Roxas seemed to despise Kairi's sister. But Xion wasn't Roxas's best friend for nothing. She knew deep down inside, Roxas needed to resolve his issues with her. Something in their past defined them. It was so unlike him to act that way toward someone. She only knew a friendly Roxas. Why did he change so much for one girl?

And then she met Naminé and understood. They had hurt each other in the past, so much that they weren't able to get over it. Xion thus made it her mission to fix that problem. It was one of the reasons she forced Roxas into spending time with Naminé. The rest of the reasons were ones she didn't like to think about. It was her way of compensating. If she fixed something in Roxas's life, maybe she wouldn't feel so guilty when she broke something. But she would probably screw that up too.

And now she'd not only be hurting one person deeply, but two as well. The worst part was that neither of them deserved it, especially Riku. She didn't want to be the second girl to break him.

"You look a little distressed. Is something wrong?"

Xion felt herself drawn from her thoughts at the sound of Riku's voice. A smile instantly formed on her face. "No, it's nothing. Just thinking."

"I hope I have nothing to do with it."

_You have everything to do with it_, Xion wanted to say. She instead shook her head vehemently. "Not at all. You took a while in the bathroom. Are _you_ feeling alright?" Xion asked, hoping to change the subject.

"If you must know, I was suppressing the urge to throw up out of nervousness. It's not often I get to treat beautiful girls to dinner." Riku said smoothly.

"Ugh." There it was. If there was something that Riku had over Roxas, it was his smooth delivery. Xion had to give him the edge in looks too. Roxas was cute, but Riku was sexy.

_Stop comparing them!_

"That's not the reaction I was hoping for. Perhaps that was a little too cheesy." Riku chuckled.

"No, no! I'm just not used to it…" Xion rubbed her thighs nervously. Her ears went hot when Riku's laugh reached them.

"I don't think I've ever seen you so flustered."

"I'm normally not. You're just different."

"How so?"

"You're freakishly attractive." Xion stated bluntly. She busied herself with her drink, avoiding Riku's eyes. She was trying to be frank with him, but it was still a little embarrassing.

"I'm glad you think so." Riku quipped. "I think you're attractive as well."

"Just attractive? No supporting adjectives?"

"Nope. No combination of words could even come close to really describing you."

_Oh for the love of…_ "Okay, you need to stop doing that, else you'll convince me that you actually like me."

Riku just shrugged, flipping his utensils over in his hand. "But I do like you."

"Nobody can get over an old love like that in a matter of days, Riku. Not even you." Xion remarked with finality.

"I never said I was completely over Kairi." Riku's voice softened as he leaned forward. "But I'm damn close. I think it helps to have prepared for it. Not to mention the fact that I like you too."

Xion looked away, smiling to herself. She wished she could say the same. They were different now that Riku had some closure. Unfortunately, a small part of her still held hope that Roxas might like her the same way. "That's great for you then."

"If you're worried about your own feelings, don't be. I'll wait as long as I have to." Riku said quietly.

Xion sighed. "It's not my feelings I'm worried about."

The somber conversation took a lighter turn when the food arrived. Xion seemed to forget about her toiling thoughts and instead focused on Riku. Just like any two friends, they laughed and joked and told each other stories. They shared their thoughts and learned about each other. It was something Xion realized she hadn't done in a long time, at least to the degree she was going with Riku.

There was only one person in the world who Xion could claim to know everything about, after all. But she had learned about Roxas a long time ago. There was always something else to learn, but the idea of connecting with another person in a similar manner was exciting for Xion. Her friendships were generally above the level of superficial, but she rarely allowed someone so close to her heart.

She considered letting Riku be the second.

Dinner passed and ended quickly. With only twenty minutes to spare, the pair left the restaurant hand in hand. When they reached the car, Riku made a show of opening the door for Xion. Before she could settle in, however, Riku pulled her in for a kiss.

Xion immediately closed her eyes and kissed back, a pleasant warmth spreading throughout her body. It was the first time he had kissed her since the night she stayed over his house, and also the first since Kairi agreed to date Sora.

This kiss was different. Riku wasn't thinking of someone else. He was thinking of her; just the feeling alone made Xion shiver.

She sighed when he pulled away, slowly making out his smirking face. Her eyes widened as she reared back in shame. She walked around the car door, making sure something stood between them. "You really need to stop doing that."

"What? Kissing you?"

"Making me feel… like that." Xion shook her head. That wasn't right. She _liked_ that feeling. "I mean, I'm the one who's supposed to be in power, but you keep doing things like that and I don't even know anymore." It was both scary and exhilarating at the same time.

"In a proper relationship, there's usually a balance of power between both parties." Riku chuckled. "Maybe I'm just better at hiding the way I feel about you."

Xion frowned. "I don't want you to stop doing that! I want to see how you feel!" Xion was silenced with another kiss. She felt her knees go weak and wobbly. Just before she'd lose her balance, she shoved Riku away. "Stop that!"

Instead of being offended, Riku looked very amused. "I thought you just said to show you how I feel."

"I know what I said! Just… ugh!" Xion threw herself into the passenger's seat of Riku's convertible. "Just get in the car!"

Laughing, Riku closed the door and jogged around the car, obeying Xion's orders. Xion eyed him carefully the whole way, crossing her arms over her rapidly beating heart.

Riku turned to her, his brow raised as he brought the roof down. "I hope you're not angry at me."

Xion shook her head. "Not angry. You're just confusing."

The two didn't say anything more on the short drive to the arcade. Xion sunk back into her chair, smiling into the wind. Riku probably wouldn't be completely alright for a long time, but he couldn't have been lying in saying that he was close. He began to take those steps toward her. Maybe he'd actually be the second person she'd become selfish for. He just might be the one to help her get over her feelings for Roxas.

And maybe then could Xion give all her feelings to him.

* * *

><p>"Whatever. This game sucks."<p>

"Mmhmm. Blame the game, Roxas. Blame the game."

Naminé followed Roxas around the arcade with a light skip in her step. She was in a good mood— a great mood, in fact— because she consistently defeated Roxas in just about every game they came across. It was extremely satisfying to crush him over and over again, especially since it involved a medium she never thought she'd excel at.

Apparently she was the queen of the arcade.

The blonde stood on her toes and pointed to a game far from their area. It looked easy enough. "How about that one?"

"No." Roxas crossed his arms. "I'm done playing with you."

"Aww, did I bruise someone's ego?"

He ignored her taunt and instead changed the subject. "Where in the world is Axel? We're starting in fifteen minutes."

"Xion and Riku aren't here either." Naminé pointed out. She eyed the corner of the arcade where Sora and Kairi were locked in a game of DDR. "Why don't we play that game after them?"

"No. I already said I wasn't playing with you anymore." Roxas said grumpily. He crossed his arms, lips pressed stubbornly together.

"You are quite the sore loser, aren't you?" Naminé folded her hands behind her back.

"I was letting you win." He narrowed his eyes menacingly.

"Feel free to go 'all-out' then!" Naminé mockingly air-quoted her words. "I'll even let you pick."

Roxas sighed. Truth be told, he stopped holding back a while ago. Naminé just happened to get lucky with her button mashing and super cheap tactics. Pride on the line, he searched the arcade for something he was sure he could win at. And then he saw it.

"Fine. Let's have a shootout." He pointed to the basketball game a few steps away.

Naminé's smile dropped. She was expecting a _video_ game thing, not a sport game. She was horrendous when it came to sports.

If it indicated anything, and it probably did, Naminé had mistaken soccer balls for volleyballs on more than one occasion at school.

"Seriously? A sport game? Why not a video game?" Naminé whined as she walked with Roxas.

"You mean an _arcade_ game?"

"Whatever. Same thing."

Roxas stared at her for a moment before shaking his head. "You did say I could pick the game. Now that I'm not holding back, you're suddenly scared?"

"Scared? Scared of you? Please." Naminé pulled out two tokens and slapped them onto her shooting station. "I can take you any day."

"You sure?" Roxas grabbed one of the basketballs and, without breaking eye contact, shot the ball with a flick of his wrist. It caught nothing but net. "I can hold back so you don't run away crying."

Behind the cocky smirk on his face ran one single thought: _Holy shit I made it! It went in! It actually went in!_

Naminé, of course, couldn't have known that. She gulped, knowing full well she might be humiliated but too prideful to back down from his challenge. "Are you going to play or what?"

"If you insist." Roxas inserted his two tokens and waited for Naminé to do the same. The game rang to life, the scoreboards flashing blank scores. "Let's try the three point shootout."

"You would…" Naminé muttered as she pressed the button Roxas had indicated. The sound effects played a cheering crowd as it counted down.

"I hope you're ready to be put to shame." Roxas taunted. As soon as he heard the first buzzer, Roxas launched his first shot and began racking up points. One after the other, the ball went in. He smirked to himself. This game was already in the bag.

With only twenty seconds left, Roxas looked over to see Naminé trailing by only six points: two shots away from tying.

He couldn't believe it, so he stopped shooting for a moment to see how she managed to stay so close. Her strategy seemed to be working for her: throw the basketballs at the hoop in quick succession and hope they go in.

Three points down.

"What the hell…" Roxas grimaced. He pulled up for another shot, sinking another one. As the final ten seconds clicked down, Roxas focused as best he could and made most of his shots. With only two seconds left on the clock, Roxas looked over at Naminé's basket to see a game-tying ball heading straight for it. The breath in his throat immediately caught.

And then it released when the ball fell short. The final buzzer sounded and their scores flashed on their screens.

"Ha!" Roxas threw his arms up victoriously. "In your face!"

"Rematch!" Naminé instantly declared. "You won by a shot! We're doing that again!"

"Winning is winning!" Roxas shrugged with a cocky smile. "And I think I'm done for the day!"

Naminé glared at him for a moment before her expression softened. "Fine. I'm done too. I'm finishing today with a ten-four record against you."

Roxas closed his mouth. "Brag all you want, Naminé. They don't count. I was taking it easy on you."

"Whatever you say, Roxas. Though the way I see it," Naminé leaned into him, close enough to whisper in his face, "winning is winning. And I. Have. Ten."

"Rematch accepted." Roxas quickly cut her off. This was real. His manly pride was on the line. "You're going to regret this."

"When did you get so funny?"

The battling blondes once again locked into another challenge, each of them waiting to begin their game. At the sound of the whistle, the basketballs went flying toward the hoops. Roxas didn't make the same mistake as last game: he waited until there were only seven seconds left to check the score, and he smiled smugly when he realized he had a fifteen point lead. She wasn't going to make more than five shots in the final seconds, so Roxas chose to stop playing.

Naminé caught the taunt from the corner of her eye and glared at him. Just before the final buzzer, Naminé chucked the ball one last time, only to watch Roxas smacked it midair and change its course.

"Rejected!" Roxas cheered loudly. "Owned! You lose _again!_"

"Rematch! You hit my last shot!" Naminé slapped Roxas's arms down.

"Are you kidding me? That last shot wouldn't have helped even if it did go in!"

"I think you're just scared of me!" Naminé accused. "What's the matter? I'm that big of a threat that you have to cheat to win? Too big of a challenge that you want to run away while you still can?" Her brow rose, challenging Roxas.

He took the bait. "Well if you want to lose that badly, I guess I could…" Roxas shrugged nonchalantly. "I figured you would want to find a different game, but who am I to deprive you of another soul-crushing loss?"

"Keep talking, Roxas." Naminé smiled devilishly as she inserted more tokens. "The first game was closer than you think. Luck rarely sides with the same person three times."

Roxas shook his head, chuckling as he picked up a basketball. "You'll realize that it's not luck, but _skill_ that makes me better than you. Go ahead and start." He pointed to the different game modes and waited with a smile.

She pressed her finger to the desired option and stared straight at Roxas.

"What?" he asked impatiently. He stared at her, a suspecting feeling crawling up his back. "You're up to something."

"I don't know why you would accuse me of such a thing." Naminé smiled sweetly. "I have no idea what you're talking about."

The whistle to begin the game went off. However, neither of the players took a shot. "The game started." Roxas stated.

"I know."

"Then why don't you shoot?"

"Why don't you?"

The two fell silent as they stared at each other. Then, Roxas slowly turned to the hoop and prepared for a shot.

The ball in his hand was promptly swatted away, bouncing off into the arcade.

"Ha! Payback!" Naminé cheered with a maniacal laugh. "How does—" Her taunt went unfinished as Roxas took the ball from her hands and threw it in the opposite direction.

And then all hell broke loose. The basketballs in each game were thrown about the arcade, and the two blondes were forced to run around and collect them all. And just when someone was about to finish, the other managed to sabotage the collection by tossing another ball.

Both Roxas and Naminé needed only one more basketball to return all the game pieces, and one just happened to be a few steps away. Anther basketball sat near the ski ball games, but that was on the other side of the arcade.

Naturally, the two went after the closer one.

"It's mine!" Naminé laughed as she reached the ball before Roxas. Her competitor didn't even give her a chance to celebrate; though she turned her back to him, he reached around and attempted to knock the ball out.

"Not if I can take it!" Roxas pulled Naminé closer, trying to get a hand on the ball.

"You already lost!" Naminé struggled to keep the ball secure in her arms as she squirmed out of Roxas's grip. She pressed her back against him, extending the distance between his body and the ball. "Back off!"

"Then let go!"

The two fell to the floor in a laughing heap as the ball slipped away, slowly rolling out of reach. Roxas, though the first to react, was pressed down as Naminé hopped over him to get to the ball first. She didn't get far; a grip on her ankle held her in place, making her fall to her knees. Neither would allow the other to gain any ground as they advanced like a broken machine, tripping and stumbling over one another.

Roxas and Naminé eventually came to a halt, their laughter getting the best of them. Roxas gripped his sides which had long grown painful for multiple reasons. Naminé, on the other hand, rubbed her face over and over again, trying to get the burn out from wearing a huge smile for such a long time. Every time they met each other's eyes, they only burst into another fit of laughter.

The ball rolled, completely forgotten. It didn't stop its trip a foot trapped it in place.

"I don't think you guys understand how to play this game."

The smiling blondes looked up to see Xion standing above them. Arms crossed, Xion smiled down at them as she picked up the basketball. "You're not supposed to remove these from the game, you know."

"Aww, and here I thought they were prizes." Roxas said sarcastically as he tried to compose himself. He pulled up into a sitting position, coughing a few times as he tried to hold his laughter in.

"I never expected to find you guys of all people to be crawling around on a gross arcade floor." Xion tucked the ball under her arm and reached out a hand, helping Naminé stand.

Naminé graciously accepted the basketball from Xion before sticking her tongue out at Roxas.

"Wait, that was mine!" Roxas complained. He still sat on the floor, half-expecting his best friend to help him up as well. She didn't.

"Oh be quiet. Get up and get yourself together. You're so embarrassing…" Xion walked off, her nose stuck in the air like she was personally insulted by Roxas's actions. "I'll be with your siblings and Riku!" She called without turning around.

He chuckled, looking up at Naminé when Xion walked off. "I think you have something of mine."

"This?" Naminé held the ball in front of her. "This one's mine. Yours is all the way over there!" Naminé pointed to the far end of the arcade where the last basketball rested against the wall.

Roxas looked over and sighed. "Fine, fine." Just as he was about to get up, he noticed a hand floating just before him. He looked up to see Naminé smiling down at him.

"You just gonna stare?" She taunted with a giggle.

Roxas rolled his eyes and took her hand. She pulled him up, but just as he was about to set himself on his feet, she pulled her hand out of his and let him fall on his bottom. He could only stare as she broke into another fit of laughter. "Very funny."

"I can't believe that worked!" She bit her lip mischievously. Again, she held out her hand for him.

"Try that again and you're coming down with me." Roxas warned as he took it. This time he was pulled up. "That's right."

"You're so full of empty— hey!" Naminé felt the basketball pop out of her grip and watched it land in Roxas's arms. He walked off, heading towards the other ball. "Roxas, give it back!"

"And give you the chance to declare yourself the winner after you cheated? No way." He bent down to pick up the other ball and handed it to her. "Knowing you, you'd say you win by simply arriving at the game first."

"So basically you were afraid of losing." Naminé grinned, falling into step beside Roxas.

"One shot to win it." Roxas said as they approached their stations. The rest of the basketballs were tucked behind a barrier.

"As long as _you_ don't resort to cheating, I'm fine." Naminé gave Roxas a warning look, holding her finger in front of him. "No blocking."

"I don't need blocking to beat you." Roxas tossed the ball in his hands. "Ladies first."

"You're too kind." Naminé cautiously turned to face the hoop, her eyes darting to Roxas suspiciously. He only smirked as he waited for her to shoot. Tuning him out, Naminé chucked the ball towards the goal, only to miss. "Shoot."

"Aww, that stinks." Roxas shrugged. "Could have won that one."

"Don't get cocky."

Roxas looked at the hoop, releasing a slow breath as he took aim. He pulled up for a shot and watched it fall in.

It bounced out after hitting the inside of the rim.

"Ha!" Naminé cheered.

"Are you kidding me? I was robbed!" Roxas groaned as he stared at the hoop. He turned to Naminé, giving her a dirty look for looking so happy. "I technically won that one. Mine was _more in_."

"Oh don't even!" Naminé crossed her arms. "It's either in or it's out. That did _not_ go in."

"It was totally in before it bounced out!"

"What was that last word?"

"Naminé, it went in!"

"It was never in to begin with!"

"I would think that the lady would know whether or not it went in." A new voice broke into the conversation. "You best back off, Roxas. If she says you were never in, you never were."

The two looked behind them as Axel approached, his hands tucked behind his head. Naminé wondered how they missed his approach; his t-shirt was a glaring red and his legs seemed to extend endlessly in his whitewashed jeans.

"Axel! When did you get here?" Roxas greeted his friend with a high five.

"Just now. Where is everyone? Is it just you two?"

Roxas's face grew warm at Axel's implications. "No. Xion is here, and so is everyone else. They're probably waiting by the laser tag arena."

"I see." Axel shifted his gaze to Naminé, smiling when their eyes met. "Are you playing too? I wouldn't mind an extra gun on our side."

"I'm actually just watching." She responded. She sent a quick glance toward Roxas before meeting Axel's eyes again. "I'm gonna use the bathroom. I'll uh… I'll meet you guys near laser tag."

"Okay then." The boys watched her walk off on her own, feeling a little weird after the exchange. "That was strange."

"I don't think she's comfortable around you." Roxas observed as they walked to a different area of the arcade.

"I think it's because I caught you guys having one of your moments." Axel laughed when the younger boy gave him a look of disgust. "It's true! You guys were totally flirting. All that talk about whether or not you were in…"

"We were talking about basketball." Roxas said shortly. The blush was apparent on his face.

"Mmhmm. So first you imply that she's morecomfortable with you, her supposed enemy, and now you guys are talking sports like two friends at a bar. Is that the secret code these days? It's nothing to be ashamed of, Roxas. It's part of becoming a man." Axel ruffled Roxas's hair.

"Axel!"

"I'm kidding, I'm kidding! No need to get your panties in a bunch… or Naminé's, for that matter."

"_Axel._"

"I couldn't help it." Axel teased. He dodged a jab from Roxas with a snicker. Half the fun stemmed from the fact that Roxas was too easy to make fun of.

"There they are." Roxas pointed to their four friends standing just inside the laser tag lobby.

Riku and Sora seemed to be locked in a heated debate, with Xion looking back and forth helplessly. Roxas and Axel casually walked over, eavesdropping on the loud conversation as they entered unnoticed.

"I'm telling you, it was this big _at least!_" Riku insisted as he held his thumb and pointer finger apart. "It was no smaller than this, period."

"Well mine was too! I'm just saying that mine was bigger!" Sora shot back. He held his hands in front of him and indicated the distance between them. "I measured mine, Riku. It was about this big!"

"That is a super generous measurement. I can cheat too, you know."

"It's not cheating! That's just how it is! Mine was bigger than yours, even if it was only a couple inches! End of story!"

What the hell are they talking about?" Axel whispered as he and Roxas took a seat on the other side of the room.

"I wish I knew." Roxas responded with a disturbed expression.

"How can yours be bigger if my rod was heavier?"

"First of all, your rod was _not_ heavier. You didn't even hold mine, so you can't even compare."

"Wow." Axel blinked. "I don't know what to make of this."

"I'm guessing it's not what you're thinking about." Roxas pressed his lips together.

"Why does it sound so sexual?" Axel asked in a low voice.

"To you, _everything_ sounds sexual."

"Second," Sora continued, "mine can still be longer! Maybe yours was just fatter! Weight doesn't prove anything."

Riku scoffed. "You're ridiculous. Kairi, you saw both of ours. Whose was bigger? Mine or Sora's?"

"Guys, nobody cares…" Kairi whined.

"We do!" The boys simultaneously replied.

"Fine… if I have to pick, I'd say Sora's."

While Sora screamed in Riku's face, the taller boy only rolled his eyes. "You're only saying that because you're his girlfriend!"

"Will it do any good if I say I don't care who had the bigger fish?" Xion buried her face in her hands as the boys continued their argument.

"Oh. Oh! It's about fish. Thank goodness." Axel laughed in relief. "That was the second sexually charged conversation I heard today. What is with you teenagers?"

"What was the first?" Roxas tilted his head. They were still sitting in the corner, unnoticed during the whole argument.

"The first was your conversation with Naminé. It sounded like you guys were talking about your virginity."

"You're such a pervert." Roxas growled.

"Oh don't give me that! What do you expect me to think when I hear you insist that you were _in_? And what about this?" Axel held out his hand toward Sora and Riku. "What exactly are we comparing here? What am I supposed to think when they're talking about length and how heavy their rods are? That is undoubtedly a sexual-sounding conversation."

"Axel?" Xion perked when she heard her friend's voice. "Hey! When did you guys get here? Why didn't you say hi?" She ran over to the boys, ignoring the rest of the argument she found herself listening to.

"We were hoping you'd love us enough to notice. Guess we were wrong." Axel feigned sorrow.

"It's dark! You can't expect me to recognize you in here."

"Excuses, excuses." Roxas shook his head. "How can you miss us? Oh, I know how. By being all googly-eyed with Riku."

"I'm not even going to address that." Xion shrugged it off. "You guys ready to own these guys?" She motioned toward the trio on the other side who seemed to stop arguing.

In an effort to keep Roxas from asking about Riku again, he quickly responded. "You bet. We've got to redeem ourselves this year. Last year's paintball match was a total fluke." He stretched his legs out in front of him, checking the digital clock on the wall. "Eight minutes 'til the match before ours ends. Did we already reserve the next game?"

"We reserved the next _five_." Xion held out her hand with all of her fingers stretched out. "Best two out of three and two fool-around games."

"Sounds good." Roxas nodded. He looked over at their friends— now enemies— and smiled devilishly. He turned back to his friends, holding his hand face-down in front of him. "This year is ours. No mercy."

Both Axel and Xion threw their hands in. "It won't even be close!"

* * *

><p><strong>Redeeming Endeavor: <strong>Thanks for any subscriptions and/or favorites.

Thank you very much to the reviewers. This one's for you guys: **Lupus7, Ash09, shadowwulfx, spadejackspade, Gear001, Zoe the Hunter, elspoek1, Dramamamapwnsall, Maskedgirl3, Morgead'sgirl, ImYourBro, Draco Oblivion, Gumi Harue, Chibi McFu, RoxasLuvCookies, inlovewithanapparition, eion sairy, Ayperi, Revenge of the Red Pen, D-Ro2593, KurukiXV, zestycrouton, Don't Shoot the Puppy, BruHaeven, BuraiStelar, 0Wishful-Thoughts0, **and **VARIABEL. **

Chapter Data: Word Count- 5,571. Total Editing Time- 383 minutes.

[Somewhat] Harmless Author Fact #12: I have been waiting to tell you guys this one since chapter 2, but I turn 21 on 12/12/12.

Take care, and I'll see you around!


	13. Initial Attraction

Chapter 13: Initial Attraction

Naminé made her way to the laser tag arena after sorting through her spinning thoughts. She didn't realize during the games, but she was having a lot of fun with Roxas. Heck, she was having so much fun that her laughter turned painful. That _rarely_ happened to her. Why, then, was it happening with someone she supposedly disliked?

She slowed down as another thought hit her: she couldn't truthfully say she disliked Roxas now. She was enjoying his company until Axel showed up and made her realize whose company she was actually in.

Roxas was supposed to be annoying, insufferable, and a complete tool. The last half hour didn't exactly reflect that.

And sure, he deflected her shot and sent it to another side of the arcade. He actually took all the basketballs at her station and threw them everywhere. It should have been annoying. And he tripped her! What kind of guy would trip a girl to win a game?

The weirdest— and maybe worst— part was that it didn't bother Naminé. It should have, but it didn't. It was… fun. In the simplest of terms, it was pure immature fun.

"What is going on…?" Naminé berated herself as she walked into the dark lobby. The loud electronic music was enough to pull her from her thoughts. She looked around as multiple colors shot in all directions, the smell of a fog machine reaching her nose. Her friends were split on either side of the lobby, already suited up for the game. Ignoring the urge to walk over to Roxas and his friends, Naminé instead bounced over to her sister.

Kairi looked up after strapping a vest on and smiled at her sister. "There you are! I was starting to get worried."

"Why?" Naminé asked idly as she looked over at Riku and Sora. They were huddled close together, no doubt discussing a strategy to employ. "I was just using the bathroom."

"I didn't know whether or not Roxas was lying about that." Kairi grinned as she looked over Naminé's shoulder. "You kind of ran off with him. Did you have fun?"

"I didn't _run off_ with him. You ditched me to play games with your boyfriend. I wasn't going to play third wheel." Naminé remarked.

"Why third wheel it when you can double date it?" Kairi asked slyly. She giggled when her sister tried to walk away from her. "Hey, I'm kidding. I know you hate him and all," Kairi rolled her eyes as she spoke, "but you already know what I think."

"You're the only one who thinks this is some playground crush." Naminé reminded.

"I stand by my intuition." Kairi crossed her arms confidently. She jumped slightly and almost dropped her gun when a loud buzzer signaled the end of the game before theirs. "Oh boy! We're starting in two minutes."

"You ready for this, Kairi?" Sora lightly shook his girlfriend's shoulders in his excitement. "I can't believe it's starting soon!"

"Try to contain yourself!" She giggled as she shrugged out of his grasp. "Are you boys finished discussing your special tactics?"

"Yup. Sora and I are going to alternate on the attack. Are you okay with playing defense?" Riku rested his hands on his knees as the rest of them formed a square with him.

"I can run around and shoot, you know."

"We know! We just think you're better suited for defense. Besides, that's a lot of area for one person. You'll get tired." Sora nudged with his elbow. He turned his attention to Naminé. "Can we count on you to root for us?"

"Is that a serious question? I'm not exactly your brother's biggest fan." Naminé grinned.

"Awesome!" Sora closed his fist. "It's like we have a home crowd now…"

"It's only a laser tag game." Kairi giggled.

"But it's an important one." Riku reminded as he pointed to the clock. "One minute left! Let's do this!"

They all stood and walked to the door that would lead to the playing area. Naminé wished them all good luck before jogging over to the trio on the opposite side. They seemed to be a little more excited: Roxas and Xion bounced lightly on their toes, with Axel shaking his limbs to loosen up.

"Hey guys!" Naminé greeted. All three of them turned to her at the same time.

"Naminé! Are you spying on us?" Axel playfully pointed an accusing finger.

"Nope! Just checking in. Kairi and the boys seem to be ready for you."

"Oh? You wouldn't happen to know how their approach, would you? I'd like to offer Roxas here as payment." Axel shoved Roxas forward. "He'll be your personal slave for a month if you give us some intel."

Roxas smacked at the hand that nudged him. "What? No I won't!"

"Fine. He'll be your sex slave—"

"Axel!"

"Ignore them." Xion pulled Naminé aside and away from her teammates. With a quick glance over her shoulder, she caught Axel wrapping Roxas into a brotherly headlock. Xion spoke up again, commanding her attention. "Thirty more seconds. Will you be cheering for us?"

"I already promised my sister I would cheer for them." Naminé shrugged sheepishly. "I'll secretly cheer for you guys in the next game if you're playing more than one."

"I'll take that! It's a best out of three, so we're guaranteed at least two games."

"Guess I'll have to be neutral for the third game, assuming neither team wins both." Naminé's eyes flicked toward the clock. The final fifteen seconds began ticking down. Red lights began to revolve above head, signaling the imminent start of the game.

"That's my cue. See you in fifteen!"

"Yup!" Naminé watched Xion run back to the boys, high fiving each of them. She found Roxas's eyes as he twirled his gun and couldn't help but smile.

He smiled back. The next second he was off, running into the arena with his team.

Naminé made her way up a short staircase to the spectator's box, which was elevated slightly from the level of the laser tag arena. A number of obstacles and barriers were scattered about the place, colored with intricate designs in the black light. A few of the barriers swung back and forth, usually near the center. Naminé watched with interest as each of the players stopped at a checkpoint before running off in different directions.

From her left, Roxas and his group charged forward at the same time. Naminé bit her lip as the scoreboard lit up.

The game began.

* * *

><p>Naminé bit her finger as the last minute of the final game began to tick. After a thrilling pair of games, the match was down to the wire. Kairi's team took the first game, but Roxas and company came back and easily won the second. Now, with both teams fighting to win the war, it was closer than ever before.<p>

Perhaps it had to do with the fatigue. It was also possible that each team adjusted to the opponent's strategy. As Naminé watched, it didn't seem like either team really paid it any mind: it was a shootout. Roxas's team would maintain the lead for a good seven seconds before Kairi and her boys stole the lead. It was a seesaw of momentum, and neither team really separated from the other to close the game out.

Thirty more seconds.

Naminé didn't even realize she spent the last half hour watching the games. It passed quickly even for her: she was more engaged with the game than she thought. She wondered if any of her friends were feeling the effects of such an extended battle. Surely they were tired after running around for so long. Then again, maybe the past half hour felt even shorter for them.

Ten more seconds. Roxas's team was up by a single point.

Naminé found herself locked on Roxas's figure. She tightly pressed her lips together as he ducked behind a barrier, shouting something to his teammates. Xion and Axel immediately dropped to the ground, and Naminé realized what Roxas was hoping to achieve. She smiled. It was a cheap tactic, but it was smart. The other team couldn't get points if they couldn't get any kills.

Five seconds.

Naminé gasped when Sora, Riku, and Kairi made a break for it. The trio surged forward, leaping over barriers as they advanced with blinding speed. Roxas and his team couldn't have seen it coming. Sora ran toward the barrier where Roxas was crouching and leapt over it. The scoreboard added a point to his team's score.

Three seconds. Tie game.

Kairi ran to the spot where Axel and Xion were hiding, pointing her gun in their direction. Naminé watched as the pair tried to look over their barrier— probably tipped off by Roxas— and took a few shots at Kairi.

A point was added to their score. They were up once again.

But before the final second ticked away, five points were added to her sister's team. Naminé's eyes widened as time ran out.

Roxas lost.

Naminé released a breath she didn't even know she was holding. As the loud buzzer sounded and the arena lit up, Riku was mobbed by his two teammates and fell to the ground thanks to Kairi jumping on his back. Sora quickly threw himself on top of the two, laughing joyously. Naminé couldn't help but smile at the scene: they looked like a bunch of kids again.

Not even a minute later, both teams reentered the lobby. Though defeated, Roxas and his team had smiles on their faces. Kairi, on the other hand, stole a piggyback ride from Riku as Sora jumped around excitedly.

"I can't believe we won!" Sora laughed as he pumped his fists in the air. "You're the best, Riku!"

"It was Kairi's idea." Riku chuckled. He set Kairi on the ground and rolled his neck.

"That was all you! I just said when we should charge." Kairi threw her arms around Sora, ruffling his hair in joy. Both of them were breathing heavily.

"I was wondering if you forgot about it. We were down, after all."

"We had to wait for the right moment, Riku. We got lucky."

"Yeah you did!" Axel coughed mockingly. "We had that one in the bag. How did that happen?"

"We had a better plan." Riku shrugged.

"Yeah, we got outplayed." Roxas scratched the back of his head in embarrassment. "I thought five seconds was short enough. You guys covered that ground really fast."

"I think if we saw it coming it wouldn't have turned out that way." Xion sighed. "Our plan was sound; you guys just picked up on the weakness of it."

"Yup. Though Kairi wasn't supposed to give you guys a point." Sora teased, poking at the redhead's side.

"I was always supposed to be the decoy!"

"Yeah, but you weren't supposed to get shot!" Riku laughed. "Either way, we won."

"Congratulations on that too." Naminé giggled, finally speaking up. The group simultaneously turned toward her.

"Naminé!" Sora pulled the blonde into a bear hug.

She grimaced. He was sweatier than he looked. "You guys played well!" She politely pulled herself from his arms.

"Did you see us? We were so extreme!" Sora narrowed his eyes and deepened his voice as he spoke.

"That was the craziest and most productive five seconds I think I ever witnessed. You guys moved really fast." She turned toward her sister. "Nice job out there. You brought honor to the family name." She joked.

Kairi mockingly bowed before laughing with her twin.

"Don't we get a compliment too?" Xion placed a hand on the blonde's shoulder.

Naminé smiled in return. "Of course. You guys did great! That second game was pretty short."

"It was!" Sora tucked his hands behind his head and grinned. "If we based wins on total score, you guys would have won it all."

"Winning is winning." Roxas shrugged. "We'll get the next one. You guys won't be so lucky next year."

"We'll be ready for you guys." Riku said as he deflected a jab from Xion. "I don't know about you guys, but I'm thirsty as hell. Be back in five."

"Finally. I wasn't going to be the guy who was going to admit that first." Axel took off his gear and handed it to the nearby attendant. "Back in a sec!"

Naminé watched most of her friends file out of the dark lobby, electing to just wait for their return. Roxas surprised her when he dropped into the seat besides her, his head hanging low.

"We had that." Roxas chuckled to himself. "I should have known five seconds was more than enough time for Sora and Riku."

Naminé tilted her head, trying to get a good look at him. "Don't beat yourself up over it. Luck just wasn't on your side."

"I don't know. Maybe if I hadn't yelled so loud they wouldn't have known it was safe to run ahead." The boy threw his head back with a sigh. "We just got outplayed. They had the better plan."

Naminé's brow furrowed. "That's not to say your plan wasn't good! I know for a fact that I wouldn't have thought to do that. It was quick and smart thinking."

Roxas grew quiet, staring emptily at the girl beside him. He chuckled. "Who are you?"

Naminé leaned away, taken aback. "What? What are you talking about?"

"The Naminé I know would be making fun of me right now, not trying to make me feel better. Did you replace her?"

Naminé's smile dropped slightly. Is that what he thought of her? "Well if that's what you want, fine!"

Roxas interrupted quickly. "I didn't mean it like that!"

"Oh really?"

"Yeah. I'm actually glad that you're not trying to piss me off." Roxas laughed as Naminé rolled her eyes. "You just surprised me."

Visibly calming, Naminé relaxed in her chair, averting her gaze. "It shouldn't have. I'm always this nice."

"Not from my experience. Are you saying I was wrong about you?"

"If you stick around long enough, you'll find that out on your own." After realizing what she said, Naminé quickly stood up. "But that's beside the point! Cheer up already! It's only a game, so there's no need to beat yourself up over it!"

Roxas shook his head, snickering to himself. He sat still for a moment before shooting out of his chair. "Who said I was beating myself up over it?"

"That pathetic face of yours, that's what!" The blonde slowly stepped away from Roxas, a smile tugging her lips. "You _would_ take something like this so seriously that you'd let it get you down."

The conversation ended when their friends returned. Roxas directed his eyes towards Xion, who tossed him a water bottle. He caught it easily and immediately took a few gulps. Axel soon dragged him away to where Sora and Riku were, forcing him to participate in a conversation.

"I hope you didn't get bored watching us." Xion had an apologetic look on her face as she approached Naminé. "I know we were in there for a while."

Naminé quickly shook her head. "It was fun to watch, really! I can think of a number of things far worse than watching my friends duke it out in the laser tag arena."

Xion walked over to the wall where her laser tag gear was hanging, lifting it off the hook. "You want to know what's more fun?" Xion sauntered over with a wide smile on her face. "Playing the game."

Naminé quickly backpedaled. "W-What? I only came here to watch."

"Only came here to watch?" Xion repeated. "That's such a waste! You're here now! You might as well try it, right?"

"I agreed to watch though, not to play…" The blonde shifted uncomfortably. "I'm wearing a dress… I can't play."

"What's this?" Kairi came over, flipping her hair over her shoulder. "Are you going to play the next round, Naminé?"

"I'm trying not to…"

"Don't you think she should?" Xion asked the other twin. "I could definitely use a breather, after all."

Naminé's eyes widened. "Wait, you're sitting out? I don't want you to sit because of me! I'm definitely not playing!"

Kairi eyed her sister. "Nam, don't be so mean. Xion needs a break. Are you really going to deny that?"

Naminé looked helplessly between the two girls. "Why don't you wait up for her? I'm sure all of you could use a couple minutes to rest!"

"Not really." Kairi shrugged. "We're all ready to go. Right boys?"

The guys looked up in a collective group. "Huh?"

"You guys ready to play?" Kairi repeated.

"Ready when you are!" Sora answered for them with a thumbs up.

Kairi turned to her sister, taking the equipment from Xion. "I think that says it all."

"Wait a second!" Naminé threw her hands up defensively. "What's Xion going to do? We can't just leave her!"

"Why? We left you." Kairi said bluntly.

Xion chose to answer for herself. "I'll just watch this game. And quit worrying, you're not leaving me out. I'll be back for the last game. We got five, remember?"

Naminé stared at the black vest in Kairi's arms, her heart pounding nervously. "So I only have to play one game?"

Xion giggled. "I was hoping we could team up for the last game. Four versus three, with you on our team."

"And before you start on how that's unfair to us," Kairi added, "We're completely fine with it. Don't be a party pooper." Kairi smiled, remembering their earlier joke. "Don't dishonor our family name!"

"Are you ladies ready to go?" Axel joined the small gathering of girls with Roxas following closely behind.

Xion turned to answer him. "Yup! Naminé's playing for me this round, just as we discussed."

"Wait, what? Really?" Roxas stepped between his friends.

"Oh cool! Don't worry, Naminé! Roxas will tell you what to do, right?" Axel thumped Roxas hard on the back.

Roxas met Naminé's eyes and gulped. "Huh? Why isn't Xion playing?"

"She's taking a break!" Kairi dumped the gear into Roxas's arms. "Teach my sister the basics. I'm gonna have a talk with my team now that there's a pair of fresh legs on the enemy's side."

Roxas turned to Axel and Xion. "Why didn't I—"

"We talked about it when we got drinks. It's no big deal; I'll be back next game. All four of us will play them." Xion walked over to Naminé and pushed her forward. "Go on! Put on your gear!"

Naminé stared at Roxas helplessly like a deer in the headlights. "Can't you tell them—"

"I'm gonna talk to the attendant and let them know we'll be ready in a couple minutes! Hurry up now!" Axel patted the pair's shoulders, grinning cheekily. "Come on, Xion. You need to let him know we'll need another vest for next game too."

Roxas could only watch as his friends walked off, forcing him to help Naminé. He turned to her with a confused look. "Um… so you're actually playing?"

Naminé nodded slowly, taking the vest from Roxas. The laser gun dropped to the floor, hanging by a long cord. "Yeah. I sort of got ambushed." Lifting the black vest over her head, Naminé settled the heavy gear over her body, shrugging into it. "Am I doing this right?"

"Yeah, just buckle the sides…" Roxas reached over and buckled the straps around Naminé's waist. "Have you even played before?"

"Never, actually." Naminé looked over at her sister, but Kairi didn't look back. She was too busy laughing over something Riku said.

"So you're completely clueless." Roxas sighed.

"Why do you say it like that? I can learn the rules!" Naminé spoke indignantly, her voice dropped into a low hiss.

"Why are you whispering?"

"I don't know! To make it seem like we're talking strategy?" Naminé threw the excuse out there, hoping Roxas would buy it.

He rolled his eyes. "Right. You have yet to take a step inside there and we're talking strategy."

"Roxas! You're free to show Naminé the arena!" Xion called from the counter. He nodded.

"Well, looks like you're really playing." Roxas fixed the vest on his own body and beckoned Naminé to follow. "Come on. I'm apparently supposed to teach you how to play. As if I didn't teach you enough already."

"Oh be quiet." Naminé huffed. "You volunteered to teach me how to drive, for one thing. And this right here? It's not my choice."

Naminé shuffled behind Roxas, undecided on how to hold the gun connected to her vest. She followed his lead and stepped into the arena, feeling a blast of cold air hit her. She shivered slightly; she didn't expect it to be so much cooler than the lobby. She figured she'd be more grateful when she was running around.

The arena seemed much smaller inside, but the barriers were much larger than she would have guessed. The electronic music in the background was lowered to a hum, surely to allow Roxas to speak at a normal volume. From the door, Roxas led her straight along a waist-high barricade, stopping at a large plastic replica of a crystal. The fake stone sat in a depression in the wall, just slightly inside of it.

Naminé watched Roxas bend down and insert the pistol-shaped laser into a holster. A light on his gun shone red before turning green after a few seconds. Roxas then lifted a headset that hung just slightly above the slot he chose. He placed it over his ears and turned to Naminé. "You're going to need a headset. Do what I did."

Naminé repeated Roxas's actions, choosing the slot adjacent to his as if it mattered. She was relieved to see her own gun glow red, then green. She put on the headset. "Okay. Now what?"

"That's how we enter the game." Roxas answered. "The first thing you do when you come in here is charge up and get a headset."

"Charge up?" Naminé jumped on Roxas's strange choice of words.

"Yup. Whenever you get shot, you have to recharge at one of the stations. This is the first charge station in our territory. The other two are there," Roxas pointed to a lightning bolt two o'clock from their position, "and there, at the five o'clock. You usually recharge at the nearest station, but sometimes you can use your death as a way of moving safely. Remember that."

"Right." Naminé nodded, looking back and forth between the two charging stations. Both of them seemed to be in rather vulnerable places. "Why are they so… out in the open? There's no wall protecting it."

"There are walls nearby, and that's good enough." Roxas began walking to the far station, expecting Naminé to follow. "There's a three second grace period after your recharge so you have time to find cover. It also prevents people from being cheap by picking people off as soon as they recharge. You recharge the same way we did at the first station: crouch down, insert your laser into the slot, and wait for the light on your gun to turn from red to green. You'll also hear a noise on your headset. I can't really describe it, but… you'll know."

Naminé bit down a smile. "Well, that helps. You're so descriptive."

Roxas smiled wryly before redirecting attention to her vest. "Speaking of headsets, you'll also hear a sound when you get shot. It should sound like an explosion."

Naminé didn't exactly approve of that method. Whose idea was to use a sound indicator when loud music blasted in the background? "Will anything else tell me I've been hit?"

"Your gun light will turn from green to red." Roxas brought his laser to eye level. "See the lights on my headset? They also turn red when I'm killed. It's a way for teammates to know whether or not their teammates are live… and I guess for enemies too. It confirms the kill for them, since there's no noise for when you successfully take someone out."

Naminé observed her vest. "Can they shoot me anywhere?"

"No." Roxas shook his head and pointed to a circle on his chest, just above his heart. It was about twice the size of her fist. "They have to hit right here. It's a bigger target than you think. They can also shoot you in the back," Roxas turned around, showing the much larger circle on the vest, "that's probably the easiest way of killing someone. It's practically your whole back."

"So can I just cover the vest and be fine?"

"Nope. They can shoot your headset too." Roxas pointed to the round earmuffs. "It's only one shot to any of the areas. They'll get you, I promise."

"You say that like you want me to get shot." Naminé crossed her arms.

"I don't. You're on my team." Roxas chuckled. "Anyway, Sora and his team will have different colors just in case you can't tell. Their life lights will be blue. When you successfully kill them, the light turns orange. So if you see blue, shoot. If you see green, it's a teammate. If you see orange, it means they've been killed. If you see red—"

"Then I let my teammate know they need to recharge, or recharge myself." Naminé finished.

"Right." Roxas nodded. "What else am I missing?"

"Are the crystals significant at all?" Naminé pointed to her their own when she noticed the other team had one as well.

"Oh, duh! The crystals are the best way of getting points. If you shoot it, your team gets five points."

"Instead of just one for shooting a person?"

"Exactly."

Naminé nodded silently. So that's how they lost last game. "Is there anything else I should know about it?"

"Yeah. The way they designed the arena makes it hard for you to shoot it with accuracy unless you stand at a certain angle." Roxas began walking to the enemy crystal, stopping about five meters from it. "See this?" He motioned toward the ground.

Naminé looked down and saw that they were both standing in a rectangle outlined in red and green lights. "What is it?"

"The sweet spot." Roxas smirked. "This is your best shot at the crystal. Any farther back is a very tough shot, even impossible. They put it inside the wall so you can't shoot it from the sides too. The barriers that move? They're intentionally supposed to block the view from the safest spots in the arena. If you want your best shot at the crystal, this is it."

Naminé looked around and crouched behind the waist-high wall in front of her. "Ah. I can't see it from cover."

"Yeah. Your head has to be above the wall to even see it. It's great design on their part. But don't get too cozy with the cover here." Roxas pointed to their sides. "The enemy has a clear shot from the left and right, so camping is pretty much impossible. You have to coordinate your attacks so that all the players have to recharge at the same time, or engaged in other fights, so that someone on the team can have a clean shot."

"So everyone needs to be distracted. Otherwise walking here is almost asking for certain death." Naminé stood completely, adjusting her headset as she looked around.

"It _is_ asking for death. You will get shot here. The net gain, though, is four points in our favor. Unless you're one of the lucky ones who stays long enough to shoot twice. Then the net gain is nine."

"I can't just fire away at it?"

"Nope. There's a five second refractory period. Good luck staying around that long. It takes one second for the enemy to charge, and they're immune to your attacks for three whole seconds because of their grace period. That leaves one second of fair game between the defender and the attacker. The odds aren't exactly in your favor."

"I see." Naminé spun around, taking another look around before speaking to Roxas. "I think that's everything. Anything else I should know about?"

Roxas looked down at the gun in Naminé's hand. "Yeah, just one more thing. Shoot the crystal." Roxas instructed, pointing forward.

Naminé raised her gun in front of her, trying her best to line up her shot. She pulled the trigger, hoping something would happen. Her expectations were met with silence. "Did I hit it?" Naminé tilted her head.

"Obviously not. Nothing happened." Roxas smirked. "Here's a tip: line the shot up with your eyes. There's no recoil, so you don't have to hold it like a normal gun."

Not quite understanding Roxas's instructions, Naminé stretched her arms out and held the gun higher. "Like this?"

"No, I mean line it up with your face." Roxas uncrossed his arms.

Naminé's face scrunched in confusion. "What does that even mean? I'm lining it up with my eyes!"

Sighing, Roxas walked up to Naminé and turned her head with a hand. "Look ahead." He then reached down and grabbed Naminé's shooting hand, and brought it to her right cheek. "See what I mean? With your eyes lined up, you'll actually be able to see the laser."

Naminé stood stiffly, not even listening to the words that left Roxas's mouth. She was too busy paying attention to their close proximity; his face was just centimeters to her left, and she could feel his hand lightly pressing against her lower back. She could even feel his warm breath on her cheek.

She became acutely aware of her slowed breathing and a hotness burning her face. Her heart, while beating normally, seemed to get louder and louder with every contraction. Naminé heard a hum of words, but she was never able to comprehend them; they seemed to go in one ear and out the other. What in the world was Roxas talking about?

"Naminé."

Naminé blinked. That was her name.

"Naminé? Hey!"

"Huh?" Naminé sputtered dumbly, finding Roxas's eyes in the dark. Were they always that blue?

Roxas groaned. "Really? Did you really just space out? Please tell me you were paying attention." He scratched his head in frustration.

"I was!" Naminé lied indignantly.

"Then do what I told you to do." Roxas ordered.

Naminé drew from the last thing she remembered and brought the laser to her face. She stood there dumbly until Roxas growled.

"You weren't paying attention."

Naminé rolled her eyes. "Fine, I got distracted! Just tell me again." She said impatiently.

Roxas walked closer and placed his hands on Naminé's hips. He didn't hear her sharp intake of breath. "I said to turn your body like this. The goal is to make yourself as small a target as possible. Bring your shoulder and hip forward," Roxas pushed one of Naminé's shoulders, "and set your other side back. Hold the gun with _both_ hands so your elbow covers the sensor over your heart and keep the gun steady."

Shaking away a few strange thoughts, Naminé gulped and nodded. "Right. Small target."

"If you shoot like this, not only does your accuracy increase, but the only viable target is on your back and the one side of your headset. It just so happens they're on opposite sides. Now shoot the crystal." Roxas took a few steps back to watch.

This time, when Naminé pressed the trigger, she saw the laser's trajectory. Though she missed the crystal, she was able to correct her aim quickly and easily landed her second shot. The crystal glowed as a light sound effect played in Naminé's headset. She smiled and turned to Roxas. "I got it!"

"That was the plan." Roxas laughed. "I only had to tell you what to do twice too. That's an improvement." He turned around to walk back to the door where they entered.

"Is a compliment so much to ask for?" Naminé followed after him, taking her headset off.

"Is that what you're doing? Fishing for compliments?" Roxas chuckled. He stopped midstride and turned around to pat Naminé on the head. "How about I give you a compliment after we win?"

She smacked his hand away. "Don't patronize me. And I changed my mind; a compliment from you is worthless."

Roxas clicked his tongue, holding the door open for Naminé. "Hey, be nice! We're teammates now. The bad guys are on the other team."

"I'll believe that when you prove you can resist being a total asshole for at least three consecutive minutes."

* * *

><p>Half an hour later, Naminé found herself breathing heavily on the ground. A stinging cramp ailed her abdomen, a pain she hoped to relieve with a little pressure. She watched her teammates run by her every now and then, none of them bothering to see if she was alright. Despite that, she smiled.<p>

Laser tag was so much _fun._

She lost the first game with Roxas and Axel, but with Xion on their side, their team's production only got better. The opposing team still managed to keep it within seven points; after all, an additional enemy also provided another target.

Exhaling slowly, Naminé peered over a low wall before ducking behind it again. Sora was just a couple steps away, shooting at one of her teammates. She could probably land a shot if he remained oblivious. As carefully as possible, Naminé crawled closer to Sora before jumping up, aiming the laser just as Roxas had taught her. Elation spread through her as she watched Sora's light change from blue to orange.

"Ha! Payback!" Naminé shouted. Her hand flew to her cramping side. _Ouch._

"I'll get you next time!" Sora ran off with a smile, obviously unbothered by the snipe. Naminé, on the other hand, ran as fast as she could to her closest teammate's location. She made sure to run around the obstacles: jumping over them was out of the question.

She fell into a crouch next to Roxas, who'd occasionally trade shots with Kairi on the other side of his wall. She noted the clock, eying the pair of threes on the countdown.

"I think we have this one in the bag." Naminé shouted over the loud techno music as Roxas resumed cover.

He nodded. "Yeah, but it's still fun to shoot at Sora and your sister."

Naminé crawled over and stole a peek around their defense. Apparently Roxas got Kairi before she got him. "Where's Riku?"

"Xion's got him pinned over there." Roxas pointed across the arena where said players were shooting. The pair was using the same barrier, laughing in their own little game. Roxas rolled his eyes, raised his gun, and took a few shots. He smirked when he landed one. "Ha!"

Naminé yanked Roxas down by the waistline of his shorts. "You're such a party pooper! They were having fun!"

Roxas pulled himself into a kneeling position, rubbing his butt. "So was I." he muttered.

"You've got some serious jealousy—" Naminé didn't have the chance to finish her sentence. Sora and Kairi came around their wall at the same time, picking Roxas and Naminé off before they could even raise a gun in opposition. The new couple howled in laughter.

"Told you I would get you!" Sora pointed to Naminé, grinning like a mad man.

"Maybe you guys should focus on the other team instead of each other." Kairi teased as time wound down. The two blondes looked at each other and laughed and spoke simultaneously.

"He started it."

"She started it."

The loud buzzer sounded overhead, abruptly cutting the music. The final score flashed on a nearby screen: Naminé and company had taken the game with a nine point lead.

The whole group convened in the lobby, exiting through the doors they came through. Each of them shed their gear, thanking the attendant on the way out. The group slowly split apart as the boys began to animatedly tease each other over actions in-game. Naminé smiled tiredly as she watched Axel ridicule Roxas, making fun of him for getting so into the game.

_What a strange day._ Naminé thought absently. The blonde dropped into a nearby chair, realizing how much her feet hurt. Playing laser tag in a dress and sandals was probably not her best decision of her life, but she didn't regret it. She had fun, a feat most surprising considering the amount of time she spent with Roxas.

Her eyes found him again, reminding her of her previous reactions to his proximity. There was something different about him that she couldn't quite figure out. She realized that she was feeling a little annoyed. Why did he have that effect on her earlier? Why did she even react that way? Questions bounced around her mind, and none of them had a good answer. Was she warming up to him? Maybe that was it. Their conversations were filled with useless banter and snappy comments, but Naminé couldn't really claim to dislike him anymore.

Sure, he was a cocky condescending asshole half the time, but it didn't even bother her anymore. So maybe that was it. Maybe she was just getting used to being around him.

But that couldn't be the case if he was an asshole only _half_ the time. He was the one who changed, right? He'd proven himself to be a decent teacher, displaying that he was actually capable of being remotely amiable.

That, however, did not answer the question that had sat in the back of her mind during the laser tag games: what the _hell_ happened during those few minutes before they started playing? Naminé could only come up with one answer, but she wasn't going to be the one to accept it right away.

"It's not like I actually like him now…" she assured herself.

"What was that?"

Naminé jumped at the question. How did she not see Roxas approaching her? "Nothing. Just talking to myself."

"I wish I could come up with something witty for that, but I'm empty." Roxas chuckled. He stopped right in front of her and held out a piece of paper. "Scorecards just finished printing. Your KD ratio was only negative two."

"My what?" Naminé closed her eyes. Did he just speak in a different language?

"Your kill-death ratio was only negative two."

The seated blonde shook her head. "Is that good?"

"It means you died two more times than you killed someone."

"Oh." Naminé frowned slightly. "So that's not good."

"It's not, but it's not bad either." Roxas grinned. "You did decently for a beginner, better than what I expected."

"And what exactly were you expecting?"

"I assumed you were going to be a deadbeat on the team." Roxas grinned, holding his hands up for a high five. "Congratulations on exceeding expectations!"

"Shut up." Naminé tried her best to fight down the smile that inevitably formed on her face. _Ugh._ She had to get away from this boy. When she attempted to walk away from him, he blocked her path.

"We're actually that way." He pointed behind her with a scorecard. Naminé spun around and saw the rest of their friends leaving through a side door.

"Oh." Naminé looked at Roxas for a moment before walking toward the door, ultimately deciding that she wouldn't thank him. Roxas followed closely behind.

"Hey, Naminé." Roxas took a few quick steps and walked alongside her. He folded the scorecard and dumped it in the trash as they passed. "You did pretty well out there. Chin up! It was only a game!"

Naminé stopped in her tracks, recognizing the speech. "Who said I was down?"

Roxas merely smiled and walked on ahead, holding the door open. As Naminé approached, he released his hold. He still laughed even when she caught the door. "Your face." He retorted childishly. He cackled louder when he dodged a smack.

"One day I'm going to teach you how to properly hold a door for a lady." She muttered to him. She made her way over to the rest of the group, briskly passing the boy she couldn't quite understand.

Roxas ran his hand through his hair, a teasing smile on his face. "You'll have to find a lady first. I'm quite sure you're not referring to yourself."

* * *

><p><strong>Redeeming Endeavor<strong>: Thanks to anyone who favored or subscribed to LPA or myself! I can't believe so many of you are following this story. Last chapter saw the favorites exceed the alerts, which I thought was interesting :-)

I'd like to point out **elspoek1, PEANUT v1.2, Spellbound a.k.a soragirl4ever, VARIABEL, Ash09, sora93kairi, shadowwulfx, Burai Stelar, DoC, Zoe the Hunter, Hegodart, Super Sally, Allied Forces, Stonekipsta, Morgead'sgirl, Gear001, TwinToshiro, KurukiXV, Draco Oblivion, Gumi Harue, roxasXnamine-ftw, Dramamamapwnsall, nine-taileddemonfox1597, TheShallowAbyss, Tenshi Yami- Angel of Darkness, Shire Folk, Chibi McFu, **and** Muledragon** for taking the time to review and talk to me!

Chapter Data: Word Count- 6,717. Total Editing Time- 429 minutes.

Harmless Author Fact #13: Currently, my favorite TV show is _House MD_, with _Modern Family_ closely behind. I also love _Fringe_, enjoying _Terra Nova_, and miss _Heroes_. I watch _Glee_ too.

Take care, and see you around!


	14. Initial Attraction II

Chapter 14: Initial Attraction II

Kairi answered her phone as soon as she heard it ringing.

"Hello?"

"Hey, Kairi!" Sora answered on the other line. "Mind if I come over? I just happened to be passing your neighborhood and thought, you know, why not?"

Kairi giggled to herself. "Like I haven't heard that one before. What are you doing up so early?"

"I had to drop Roxas off at work. So is that a yes?"

"Isn't Roxas's work out of the way?" Kairi asked, purposely stalling her answer.

"Not if you don't know where you're going." Sora joked. "It's my lucky day. My awful sense of direction put me on the road that leads to your house. You know, the one with like two stoplights the whole stretch?"

"So basically you're on your way here, even though I didn't say you could come."

"Well if I'm not allowed over, then I guess I'll just have to drink these hot chocolates by myself." Sora said wistfully. "Ah, loneliness… the bane of my existence…"

Kairi rolled her eyes. Sora only got dramatic and poetic when he was hungry. "How far away are you?"

"I want to say five minutes, maybe shorter." Sora replied after a pause.

"'Why did you bother calling? It's not like I had a choice." Kairi stood up from her bed, unplugging her phone so she could walk around.

"The one who didn't have a choice, Kairi, was me."

"And how does that make sense?"

"Because I have to see my girlfriend before my day starts. Otherwise I'll _die_."

Kairi sighed. "You poor thing. You must be starving."

There was a short amount of silence before Sora answered. "Kairi, the cinnamon rolls smell heavenly."

"See you in a few minutes then!" Kairi giggled.

"Thanks, Kai. See you soon."

After hanging up, Kairi returned her phone to the charger and sighed happily.

Life was absolutely perfect.

Kairi was on top of the world and enjoying her best summer yet. She knew the reason had a lot to do with the fact that she reunited with her two best friends. Sure, she made new friends at school and in Radiant Garden, but none of those girls or guys knew her like Sora and Riku did. Riku would always be her closest brotherly figure and Sora her best friend.

Well, he was technically a boyfriend now, but that was a step forward.

Kairi felt her cheeks grow warm at the thought. To think that her best friend would like her back made Kairi's head spin. Her! The crush she harbored for a number of years was finally realized. She knew she was one of the lucky ones. If Sora didn't like her the same way, then their friendship would have taken a damaging turn. Sometimes she thought that she should have known all along, _before_ both of them decided to accept their feelings and take that leap together.

Sora was her boyfriend now.

The thought seemed so foreign! "Sora and Kairi" meant more than a pair of best friends now. It was a title, a _couple_. Kairi laughed to herself. How had she not gotten over this yet?

The jump from best friends to boyfriend and girlfriend was relatively easy. They hadn't done anything intimate, so maybe that's why they avoided any awkwardness so far. It wasn't that they were actively trying not to do things either; rather, they just never felt it was necessary.

Kairi actually found it funny when Sora tried to be romantic. Perhaps she was one of those girls who just couldn't take it seriously. After all, she was the kind of girl who fell for her best friend. Her best friend was most certainly _not_ some tall, dark and handsome young man with all the right words and confident swagger that made women everywhere swoon.

He could be though.

But that meant more competition. Kairi was okay with the shortage of interested girls anyway.

The thought of other girls chasing Sora made Kairi's blood simmer. In retrospect, she was delighted when Sora would talk to her and tell her stories of how bad he felt for denying a girl. The guys she dated— though only for a short time— usually reminded her of Sora somehow too.

Kairi furrowed her brow, a look of disturbance crossing her face. Did that make her evil? She had liked hearing that Sora turned down a few girls here and there. She also used different boys to fill the void in Sora's absence. Those weren't actions of someone nice.

All of it was rather cruel of her.

No. It was natural and normal. If she had always felt Sora was hers, then how could she not react the way she did? Anger was the expected feeling when she heard that Sora built a reputation of being a good kisser.

Kairi stopped in her tracks. If she thought about the subject any more, she'd only be pissed when Sora arrived.

But wait! If the whole freaking female population of Sora's school— okay, more like a handful of girls— got a smooch out of him, then why hadn't she kissed Sora yet? The drunk one definitely didn't count either.

Kairi huffed, deciding life wasn't perfect after all. One, her boyfriend had yet to kiss her. What was up with that? Two, she had absolutely no one close enough to talk to when it came to frustrating things like relationships and boys.

Well, there _was_ Naminé. Her twin, and probably her best female confidante, would definitely lend her an open ear. But her sister's advice would only go so far. Who was Kairi supposed to talk to when her relationship with Sora advanced? Naminé would be more lost than Kairi.

Unless Naminé got a boyfriend too.

Kairi paused. Naminé dating someone? Could it happen?

Unlikely. Her twin had such unrealistic expectations and incredibly high standards, and Kairi wasn't going to be the one to tell her that. She probably wouldn't be able to change how her sister thought too. It would take someone just as stubborn to influence Naminé in the slightest.

"Or Roxas, I guess…" Kairi said aloud. She didn't care what anyone else said. There was always _something_ there between her boyfriend's twin and her own. It wasn't that she didn't believe in the existence of their little grudge match— it was certainly there— but there was always a sort of underlying affection or something. She could have been wrong, but it was awfully weird for two people to care so much of the other's opinion if they supposedly loathed each other.

The doorbell rang, notifying Kairi that her boyfriend had arrived. She jogged to the door, not even bothering to check as she pulled it open. Sora walked in, his smile a combination of delight in seeing his girlfriend and relief that he was going to indulge in his sugary breakfast soon.

"Hey, Kairi!" Sora made himself at home, taking a seat at the table. He placed Kairi's breakfast in the spot next to him. "I got you your favorite!"

"I see that. Thank you." Kairi bent down and pecked Sora on the cheek. Maybe he'd get the hint sometime today. "You excited for the island get-together?"

"More like super-mega excited!" Sora munched happily on his warm cinnamon roll. "I already prepared everything I have to bring. I hope you don't mind, but I'll be staying here until we head over. Everything's already packed in the trunk, and I was hoping we could just go together. Naminé too, of course."

"You're on a roll today." Kairi sipped some of her hot chocolate, sighing as she lowered the cup. "Inviting yourself over as you please and all…"

"I figured you wouldn't have a problem with it."

Kairi bit her lip. "I don't, but what about Naminé?"

"Unless she suddenly developed a hate for me, I figured that wouldn't be a factor either."

"Yeah, about that…" Kairi went along with the act, placing both of her hands on Sora's shoulders. "My sister secretly wishes for you to disappear. She mentioned something last night that she doesn't want to lose her twin to some boy, so…"

"You're breaking up with me?" Sora asked with mock despair.

"Alas, we cannot be!" Kairi pressed the back of her wrist to her forehead and sighed dramatically. The couple broke into a fit of laughter following their private joke.

"How did we go from talking about spontaneous planning to theatrical tragedy?" Sora chuckled, stabbing into the remains of his cinnamon roll with a fork.

"We're a very dynamic duo with a cultured background." Kairi said airily.

"Yes, quite sophisticated." Sora rubbed his chin thoughtfully, getting a laugh out of Kairi. "Do you remember in fifth grade when Mr. Sid made me rewrite all those words I misspelled during that vocab test?"

"I have to say that I remember that test among the many we took that year simply because of the way you epically failed it." Kairi nodded. "The best part had to be when you challenged his authority."

"Who thought it was a good idea to spell 'sophisticated' with a 'PH' instead of an 'F'?" Sora repeated his pre-teen question. The two shared a laugh over the memory. "I will never forget how to spell those words from that test."

A short lapse of silence filled a few seconds. "Wow, we've known each other for a while, huh?" Kairi said with a thoughtful expression.

"Since we were four." Sora nodded. "I'll always remember the day we met too."

Kairi blinked. "I'm glad someone does. All I remember is you and Riku always being there."

"You don't remember how we met?" Sora tilted his head curiously, a strange glint in his eye.

"To be honest, I don't." Kairi shrugged.

Sora smiled. "Huh. Maybe I'll tell you the story later today. It's one of my favorite memories."

"Wish I could say the same." Kairi leaned her head on her hand. "I guess we can start making new ones. I mean, how many couples can say they've known each other since pre-school?"

"Not many, but we're among them." Sora said proudly. "It's great that it saves me a lot of work too. Our families are already familiar with each other, and your parents already love me."

Kairi laughed. "Oh, thank goodness you don't have to work for my parents' blessing. And just to be clear, my dad actually liked Riku more than you."

"Probably because Riku was an adult charmer."

"No, he liked Roxas better too."

"What the heck?" Sora spread his arms out. "Why am I on the bottom of the list?"

"Because you were a normal child: loud, immature, and crazy. Riku could flip the off switch on command, and Roxas was generally quieter than you."

"Your father hated me for being a wild child?" Sora scrunched his nose.

"He didn't _hate_ you. He likes you, just not as much as your brother and Riku. If you ask me, I think it's because he liked Riku's parents a lot."

Sora shrugged. "Nothing against my own, but Riku has awesome parents. I can see them being the cool couple among adults too."

"You know," Kairi's brow furrowed as she thought, "I wonder how my dad will react if I tell him we're dating now. You're actually my boyfriend now."

"Maybe it'll be like the good ol' days and he'll laugh, slap me on the back, and tell me I'm a charming young man." Sora suggested. He smiled sheepishly when Kairi looked at him skeptically. "What? A guy can dream."

"And dream big, apparently." Kairi looked up, catching movement from the corner of her eye. Her sister rubbed her eyes as she walked in tiredly. "Morning, sunshine! Somebody slept well, huh?"

Naminé yawned. "Not really. Pillows reeked of Roxas." The blonde turned into her bathroom. "Morning, Sora."

"Goof Mooring!" Sora greeted with a full mouth. He gulped down his food and smiled apologetically to his girlfriend. "I wasn't going to ignore her!" He explained.

"Whatever. I'm just wondering if you picked up on the same thing I did." Kairi crossed her arms.

"Does it have to do with Naminé?" Sora pointed his thumb in the direction of the bathroom.

"Yup." Kairi nodded. "See? That's what I'm talking about. She knows things she supposedly shouldn't."

Sora blinked. "Kairi, I'm going to be frank here and admit that I have no idea what you're talking about."

The redhead rolled her eyes. "You just said you thought the same thing I did!"

"I asked if it had to do with your sister, actually. I never said I knew what you were getting at." Sora said matter-of-factly. He drank his hot chocolate slowly.

Kairi sighed, but leaned forward so she could whisper to Sora. "Fine. Don't you find it weird that Naminé knows what Roxas smells like?"

Sora nodded. "That's kinda weird. I don't know what Roxas smells like."

"_And_," Kairi continued excitedly, "why was Roxas sleeping in Naminé's bed in the first place? The two like to say they can't stand each other, but since when was Roxas able to sleep in Naminé's bed and since when did Naminé begin to recognize Roxas's scent?"

Sora's eyes widened, a shocked look on his face. "Your sister is a werewolf!"

Kairi's mouth dropped open.

"Think about it!" Sora went on. "Your sister, who usually wakes up before or around the time you wake up, wakes up late today. She's also able to distinguish scents like a dog. _And,_" Sora pressed his fingers to the table as he made his point, "there was a full moon last night. Naminé had her first changing last night and ran around, which explains why she slept in, and her innate powers as a werewolf kicked in, which explains her new keen sense of smell. And Roxas was in Naminé's bed because… oh. Oh my gosh! Roxas is a werewolf hunter! No wonder they hate each other so much!"

Kairi stared blankly at her boyfriend as he looked on with excitement. Her mouth opened and closed, mimicking a fish out of water, simply because she couldn't find any words.

Sora didn't seem to pick up on it. "I understand why you're so shocked, but I wouldn't be too worried. Naminé probably makes a nice werewolf and doesn't really give Roxas a justification to kill her, which is why he's always on edge around her. He's just waiting for her to make a mistake and… huh. Who should we side with? My brother wants to kill your sister but—"

Kairi held her hand up, cutting Sora off in an instant. She pressed her lips together. While she was glad to see that Sora somehow crafted a wildly imaginative backstory regarding Naminé and Roxas's strange relationship, she didn't want to tell him that he was wrong so bluntly. As his girlfriend and best friend, she was supposed to be supportive.

She'd let him down gently.

"Sora, while I feel that is a… possibility," Kairi turned her head slightly and cringed as if saying the word pained her, "I don't think that's quite right. Besides, if Roxas wanted to, uh, kill my sister, then how come it seems like their relationship is improving? They're spending time with each other now."

Sora pounded his fist into his palm. "I got it. Roxas is mad at the werewolf who bit Naminé and he's looking for a way to cure her, Naminé must be telling him there's no way to undo the curse, and—"

"Sora, I don't think that's it."

"But if you think about it—"

"No, really. It's not." Kairi gave in, shutting Sora's suggestion down. "To get back on point, my sister is awfully aware of your brother. I think that's a sign that maybe they're getting closer than I initially thought."

"Is this the part where I jump on your bandwagon and say that Roxas has been crushing on your sister since forever?" Sora asked, well-aware of Kairi's view on their siblings.

"No, but now you can't say I'm completely crazy." Kairi stopped talking when Naminé emerged from the bathroom, looking a lot more refreshed than she had a moment ago. "Hey Nam! Do you mind if Sora takes us to the island? He apparently made his own plans for his own convenience.

"Aww, Kairi! I made my own plans, but they're designed to help you guys! I can lift anything and everything you need to bring."

"Like a pack mule?" Naminé joked. "I don't mind at all. What time are we leaving?"

"Not for another… six hours." Sora smiled cheekily when Naminé raised a brow. "What? You guys aren't gonna be here forever! Can't a guy spend time with his friends?"

"I'm sure you came here with the full intention of spending time with both of us." Naminé smiled knowingly. "I'd be happy to spend most of the day in my room… or my studio, if you're willing to purge it for me."

Kairi rolled her eyes. "Naminé, it was one roach. We haven't seen one since."

"It doesn't hurt to check!" Naminé objected. "I don't really let anyone in there, but I am perfectly willing to make an exception in this case."

"Whatever." Kairi turned her head at the sound of her phone ringing from her bedroom. "I'll be right back."

"Yup." Sora opened up a small paper bag and took out a small muffin. "Here, Naminé. I brought you some breakfast."

"Oh!" Naminé sat at the table, thanking Sora as she pulled her food closer. "Is this _the_ Berry Big Muffin? I'm actually surprised you know what I like. Or did Kairi tell you?"

Sora shook his head. "Actually, it was a lucky guess. Roxas ordered that before I dropped him off at work. I figured I'd order you one too." He laughed, turning his empty cup in his hand. "I guess you guys have the same taste in breakfast foods."

Naminé smiled, holding a hand over her chin to keep the crumbs from falling everywhere. "I guess so." After relishing the first bite, Naminé stood up to pour herself a glass of milk. "So I was wondering… are you actually willing to check my studio for more cockroaches? I haven't entered since, and I don't think I can go again unless someone tells me it's clear."

Sora nodded. "Of course! Though you really don't have to isolate yourself like that."

"I think you and Kairi could use some alone time." Naminé sat back down and transferred her breakfast onto a plate. "How are things going, by the way?"

"Great, I'd say. To think I was worried about jeopardizing our friendship…" Sora rested his head against his hand, grinning to himself. "It's not awkward at all, which is probably the best part. Then again, we haven't really done anything differently than before."

Naminé stopped eating, her interest piqued by Sora's words. "What do you mean by that? Aren't you guys dating now?"

"Doesn't Kairi tell you any of this?" Sora asked, squirming a bit under Naminé's gaze.

"Not really. I wish she'd keep me updated, but she hasn't. I had assumed it was because… well, because what you do with each other is private," Naminé struggled to find the right words, "but now you said something about nothing really changing."

"Oh! A lot has changed between us. We're open with our feelings and everything, but we haven't really done… anything to, I guess, _show it._" Sora hinted.

"So you guys haven't… kissed?" Naminé dared to ask. She gasped when Sora shook his head. "Now, that I find surprising."

"Well, we have kissed before, just not as boyfriend and girlfriend." Sora said sheepishly.

Naminé's eyes widened. "Oh! Are you talking about that time over spring break when you guys were drunk?"

Sora stared at Naminé, clearly lost. "Um, what?"

"Oh, forget I said anything!" Naminé quickly covered. "Is there a reason why you guys haven't… er, are you guys waiting or something?" Naminé rephrased her question. She found that she was terribly interested in the love affair between her sister and friend, but asking so directly made her feel invasive. She supposed discussing it with Sora also had something to do with it.

"Not really. Just haven't found that moment yet." Sora shrugged. "Kairi didn't tell you any of this?"

"Not at all." Naminé answered as she completely unwrapped her muffin. "The last time she talked to me about her boy problems— not that you're a problem! It's a general term, really."

Sora grinned. "None taken."

"Yeah. The last time we talked about you was the morning after the club." She nibbled on the muffin, her mood slightly deflated. "I don't think she trusts me with all that stuff."

Sora smiled sympathetically. Contrary to what Naminé thought, Kairi wanted to be more open with her sister. He'd heard it from Kairi many times, however, that she couldn't stand Naminé's gaze when she did something. Sora came to the conclusion that Kairi cared an awful lot over what her twin had to say, so much that she sometimes chose to keep silent. "Naminé, believe me or not, but I think Kairi would love to talk to you about our… er, relationship. Maybe you should try initiating it next time."

Naminé stared at the last bit of her muffin as she digested Sora's words. "Hmm. Maybe I should try that."

"I think you should at least start while I check that studio of yours." Sora knocked on the table.

Naminé sighed in relief. "Thanks, Sora."

"No problem! Just one question…" Sora took Naminé's stare as a sign to continue, "If you were a werewolf, would you tell me?"

"Um… yes?" Naminé looked at Sora, not knowing what to make of his disappointed look. "Why do you ask?"

Dragging his feet, Sora walked toward Naminé's art room. "No reason."

* * *

><p>"Whew!"<p>

Roxas dropped onto a chair in the reception area, feeling drained and exhausted after hours of work. The smell of pet shampoo reached his nose. It was probably his clothes.

A few seconds passed before Roxas checked the time on his phone. Sora was supposed to call and let him know who would be picking him up.

"Of course he forgot." Roxas muttered to himself. When his brother told him he'd be visiting Kairi after dropping him off, Roxas had a feeling his brother would be a little distracted. Nothing against Kairi or anything— he was happy for them both— but Roxas never had much patience. If Sora couldn't handle more than one task on his mind, then he probably should've picked.

Or maybe he did. Maybe his choice was to leave Roxas an extra hour at work.

"No big deal. It's not like I had anything to do or anything." Roxas said to himself.

Olette entered the room, visibly surprised to see Roxas still around. "You're still here!"

"Yeah." The blond scratched the back of his head. "I think Sora forgot about me."

"That's a shame. You know you're always welcome to get a ride with me and Hayner when we leave in an hour. We're all heading to the island anyway." Olette sat down at one of the computers, probably to put something on record.

"I might have to take you up on that offer if Sora doesn't— oh." Roxas felt his phone vibrating in his hand. "Maybe not."

Olette grinned. "Let me know after!"

Roxas walked away from her, pressing the phone to his ear. "Axel? What's up?"

"Your brother called Xion half an hour ago saying you'd need someone to pick you up." Axel explained.

"So why are you the one telling me this?"

"Because Xion couldn't pick you up. Are you ready to go? I'm outside now."

Roxas peeked outside the window. Sure enough, Axel's red sports car was parked in front. He turned to Olette. "Hey, my ride's here."

"Oh, that's good! See you tonight though?" Olette asked hopefully.

"You bet. See you later. Please remind Pence and Hayner to bring the volleyball stuff. They'll forget otherwise."

"You can count on me!" Olette saluted with a giggle.

Roxas exited the building and jogged over to Axel's car, settling into the purring machine. Axel greeted him with a smirk.

"You smell funny."

Rolling his eyes, Roxas buckled in with a sigh. "Let's see how you smell after washing half the dogs and cats in there."

"Fair enough." Axel nodded. "I hope you don't mind, but we're making a stop at the liquor store for the party tonight."

"Wait, what?" Roxas sat up, his brow furrowed.

"Are you surprised because I'm buying the alcohol?"

"That, and the fact that you're coming to this party. And can't you do this some other time? Maybe after you've dropped me off?" Roxas looked shiftily from side to side.

"Chill, Roxas. You're staying in the car. And what's wrong with me coming to this party? As long as you and Xion don't answer Larxene's phone calls, I'm fine."

Roxas covered his face with his hands. "Great. Thanks for dragging us into your relationship problems that will surely arise from your blatant lies."

"What she doesn't know won't hurt her!" Axel chuckled. "But seriously, I'm paying for all of this in cash. The crazy bitch will track me if I use my credit card."

Roxas opened his mouth to protest, but chose to keep his comments to himself. "So where's Xion? And why do you have to pay for all the alcohol that everyone else will illegally drink?"

"Xion's with Riku." Axel answered with a cough. "And he's actually paying me back later, so no skin off my back. In fact, I'm making a profit out of this thanks to the points this will give me."

Roxas didn't fall for Axel's attempt to change the subject. "What the heck is she doing with Riku now?"

"She didn't want me to tell you." Axel glanced over, only to see his best friend glaring at him. "Oh come on! Why are you getting mad at me?"

Roxas remained silent.

Axel groaned in frustration. "Fine. She took him to the hospital today to see her parents. She told him about her condition and everything."

Roxas's hands curled into fists. He wanted to punch something. Out of all his friends, Xion was the hardest to understand and predict. He came to know her very well, but at the same time she was a mystery. What exactly motivated her to act the way she did? "Why would she do that now? We have no idea how Riku will react to that."

"Apparently he reacted well. If she told him about herself, only to later bring him to see her parents, then we can safely assume he didn't make her feel uncomfortable." Axel pulled the car into a parking lot, unbuckling himself. "Roxas, don't think about it too much. I know you're jealous and all—" Axel ignored Roxas's protests, "— but Xion is allowed to make her own decisions and talk to whomever she wants. You're her best friend, but that doesn't give you the right to control her."

"I'm not trying to control her!" Roxas retorted. "I'm just… wondering why she suddenly finds Riku interesting."

Axel opened his door, but remained still for a moment. "I don't know if this is what you want to hear, but whatever you're thinking is probably right." Axel got out of the car, bending down to offer Roxas a few more words. "I know you're her best friend and you don't want to lose her to someone else, but Xion can date anyone she wants. I know you're fully aware that your opinion matters to her too. Don't become her enemy when she needs your support."

Roxas crossed his arms as Axel walked off, leaving him to sulk with his thoughts. As much as he hated it, Axel knew exactly how he felt. His older friend had a point. Even if Roxas didn't agree with the growing friendship between Xion and Riku, he was supposed to support his best friend.

The problem was that Roxas didn't want to give her that support.

* * *

><p>A quick stop at home and a short drive later, Roxas and Axel unloaded an alcohol-laden car into Axel's small fishing boat. While it technically belonged to his parents, Axel used the boat the most as a means of escaping reality every now and then. Roxas used to tag along, but their schedules rarely lined up to allow that. That, and Roxas had a lot of trouble waking up at the break of dawn.<p>

After a few treks between boat and car (Roxas had been extremely paranoid that he was being watched), all the drinks were transferred safely. Roxas tapped his foot impatiently as he waited for Axel to return. He kept his head low, hoping no one would notice him. There wasn't exactly anything legal about a sixteen-year-old with a boatload of alcohol.

"Wow. Could you possibly look any more suspicious?" Axel teased as he tossed Roxas the keys. "I'm going to make a suggestion: try to look a little more confident, more adult-like. Your whole demeanor won't scream 'arrest me' that way."

"If you knew how uncomfortable I was, why did you take so long to get back?"

Axel laughed, speedily untying the boat. "I just wanted to see you squirm."

"Whatever. Do you want me to drive?"

"If you would." Axel motioned with his hand. As soon as he hopped into the boat, he pulled a beer from one of the coolers. "Isn't this great? How lucky we are to have a boat of booze."

"Now I see why you wanted me to do this." Roxas turned the boat around, heading for Play Island at a steady pace.

"I trust your skills." Axel took a gulp of beer, smiling into the light breeze and bouncing with the boat. "Hey, that reminds me. How's your little driving thing with Naminé going?"

Roxas raised a brow. "How do you know about that?"

"Xion told me." Axel said smartly. "Well?"

"They're fine." Roxas replied shortly.

"Has she improved?"

"Of course she has. She was awful before. Now she's just… bad."

Axel smirked. He could tell this was something Roxas didn't want to talk about.

All the more reason to ask.

"How many times have you guys gone out?"

"We had one driving lesson." Roxas reworded Axel's questions. "Why are you so interested?"

Axel shrugged. "I just wanted to know. Seems like you and Naminé have managed to put your differences aside."

"Hardly."

"No, I think so." Axel shook his head. "Don't lie to me, Roxas. I know things have improved between you two. Question is, have they improved to the point where you guys can call each other friends?"

"Absolutely not." Roxas responded. "You're reading into it too much. I'm just doing whatever I have to do so Xion doesn't leave." When his response was met with silence, he turned around to see his friend's reaction.

Axel pressed his lips together in thought as if he were debating something in his mind. The expression was gone as soon as he noticed Roxas staring, replaced with an easygoing smile. "Hmm. You're a little confusing. I can't tell whether or not you like Xion or Naminé when you talk like that."

Roxas blushed, turning his attention to the nearing island. "What are you saying? Of course I like Xion. She's my best friend."

"You know that's not the kind of 'like' I'm talking about. And if Xion is just your best friend, that must mean Naminé is your real love interest."

"Shut up, Axel. Naminé doesn't have to mean anything to me."

"Yet she does anyway. Cut the crap already! Xion and I are fully aware that you find her attractive." Roxas didn't bother saying anything else, much to Axel's chagrin. "Tch. You're such a child sometimes. Luckily for me, I'm your best friend, so I'm going to say whatever the hell I want and tell you that sometimes you can be really immature. To tell you the truth, Xion and I also know that Naminé is growing on you. Whether you acknowledge that or not is up to you, but please learn to accept things about yourself even if you don't like it.

"I think you have a thing or two to learn from Xion. Yes, sometimes she's a little too aloof for my tastes, but at least she accepts herself. Do you think she wanted to inherit her parents' illness? Of course not. I know your situations are different, but the principle is the same. You don't have to like everything about yourself. That dissatisfaction oftentimes leads to self-improvement. But don't go about denying things that really make you who you are." Axel finished the rest of his beer as they approached the dock, pausing in his speech for only a few seconds. "Besides, we can't help who we like. There's no shame in it, none at all."

The boat came to a stop along the wooden dock. Axel remained seated, wondering if Roxas had anything to say to him. He knew he might have slammed his teenage friend with the truth, but if he wasn't going to be the one to say it, who would? Axel almost felt obligated to guide Roxas. He knew. He was a teenager too. And at twenty-one, he was still learning.

Finally, Roxas turned his head just enough to look at Axel. A frown was etched onto his face as he looked at his friend with jaded eyes. "Are you going to tie the boat or not?"

Axel sighed. So much for that. "Yeah. I got it."

* * *

><p>Roxas made his way through the thicket of the island, picking up twigs and dried branches they would need for the fire come nighttime. After unloading all the drinks, Axel told him that he was heading back to the mainland, to which Roxas gave a slight nod.<p>

If Axel wanted to leave, then it was fine with him. Who needed him anyway?

Roxas readjusted his hold on his gatherings, bending down to pick up a few more branches. He knew they had a lot of daylight left, but the only thing Roxas wanted to do was to get away from everyone else.

Axel's little speech soured his mood considerably. What did Axel know? Not much, apparently. Roxas snorted. He should have never admitted to Xion and Axel that he thought Naminé was somewhat pretty. That's what led to this whole situation. Axel had to grossly exaggerate what he knew and twist everything that Roxas did. Why couldn't his best friends accept the fact that he was only hanging out with Naminé because of Xion's bet? Why couldn't they just let simple driving lessons be driving lessons?

No, they had to assume there was something more to it. Since he was hanging out with Naminé more, it _obviously_ meant that they were becoming friends. Since he offered her driving lessons, it _had_ to mean they were getting over their differences.

At this rate, if he even so much as looked in Naminé's direction, Xion and Axel would declare that Roxas wanted to marry her.

What a load of crap!

Roxas returned to the beach, dropping all the branches and small twigs near the small fire pit. He didn't realize it while under the shade of the trees, but it was extremely hot today. Maybe that's why everyone was in the water. Sora, Tidus, Wakka and Ven were playing catch, with Kairi, Selphie and Aqua wading nearby. He was surprised to see his friends and coworkers setting up the volleyball net a little farther down the beach. They probably arrived while he was gathering firewood.

Roxas made his way to the picnic table, dropping onto the bench with a sigh. He grimaced when he noticed he was covered in sweat. After the small struggle to peel off his shirt, he reached into a cooler and quickly opened a bottle of water, draining half of it with a few gulps. Relieved, he returned to his spot on the bench and sighed.

He looked around once more, wondering if he had missed anyone. A few people were missing, but they'd most likely arrive within the hour. Among them were Xion and Riku— they'd probably arrive together— and Naminé. Roxas bit his lip. If Kairi was here, then surely Naminé should be around as well.

"Why do you look so angry?"

Roxas whipped around to face the owner of the voice, a smile replacing his noted expression. "I was wondering why you hadn't shown up yet, is all. Care to explain why you're late?"

Xion sat next to him, removing her hat and sunglasses and placing them in her lap. "We had to stop by Riku's place to pick up the alcohol."

Roxas snorted. "Why did you make him buy more if you had some already?"

"We didn't have enough. Looking at it now though, I'd say we're set for the night." Xion got up for a moment and returned with a hard lemonade. "Can you open this for me?"

Roxas grudgingly took the drink and twisted the cap off, handing it back to Xion. "Where's Riku?" The question came out forced.

"He and Axel are probably unloading the alcohol." Xion explained. "Riku brought his dad's boat, and he's anchoring it a little ways off shore. I think Axel said the plan was to fill his boat with the booze and then just bring it over to the dock." She pointed to the dock that Axel had left half an hour ago."

"How in the world did you get here then?"

"I took that." Xion pointed to the beached Jet Ski next to the shack. "I'm surprised Riku let me use it."

"He's been rather friendly lately, huh?" Roxas remarked as he gulped down more water.

Xion stared at him for a moment. "Have you put on any sun screen yet?"

"No. I'm in the shade."

"That's no excuse." Xion got up again, returning to the bench with a large bag in hand. She pulled out a bottle of sunscreen and motioned for Roxas to turn around. He obeyed. "A little sweaty?"

"I did a lot of… walking before you got here." Roxas glanced at the large pile of dried branches he had gathered earlier. He felt Xion wipe down his back with something. "Was that my shirt?"

"Yup. Relax, though. I brought you spare clothes." Xion squeezed the lotion onto her hands and pressed it into Roxas's back. She giggled when he shivered. "Sorry. That must've been a little cold."

"A warning would have been nice." Roxas exhaled slowly.

Xion spread the sunblock all over his back, massaging his shoulders gently. "I took Riku to see my parents today."

Roxas blinked. Axel must've kept their conversations a secret. He felt a little remorse for forcing Axel to tell him when Xion had planned to do so already. "Really?"

"Yeah. And I told him everything about me too." Xion continued. She dropped the sunscreen into his lap, indicating that she finished with his back. She took off her sundress, rolling it up and placing it in her bag.

"How did he react?" Like clockwork, Xion and Roxas turned at the same time so Roxas could return the favor. "It might be cold." He warned before pressing his hands to her back.

Xion didn't flinch. "Pretty well, actually. To be honest, I thought that would be the deal breaker. It didn't send him running for the hills."

Roxas looked up to see Xion smiling to herself. She looked so relieved. Roxas gulped. "You're that confident in him?"

"I trust him." Xion affirmed.

Roxas exhaled slowly. In that split second, he made a decision. "I guess he's halfway decent after all."

Xion turned around and smiled widely. "What did you just say?"

"Nothing." Roxas stalked off with a red face, trying his best to distance himself.

Xion wasn't having any of it. "Wait! I think I just heard something akin to approval just now!"

The blond groaned. "If you pester me more, I'm taking it back."

Xion shook her head with a giggle before wrapping her arms around her best friend. "You're so prideful."

Roxas slowly returned the hug, resting his chin on the top of Xion's head. "Whatever. Just let me know if he does anything that doesn't make you happy."

"What, you planning on decking him or something? Good luck with that."

"You'd be surprised how stupid I get when someone I care about is threatened."

Xion went stiff for a moment, but pushed away from Roxas with a smile. "Riku isn't a threat to my existence, you know. Besides, I've witnessed first-hand how you react when a friend is in danger. I'm sure Seifer won't ever mess with you again."

As the memory flooded back to Roxas, his face went red in embarrassment. "That's not what I was—"

"I'm going to say hello to everyone else." Xion interrupted. She took Roxas's hand and placed the sunscreen bottle in his palm. "Finish up, okay?"

Roxas wanted to reply, but he knew Xion wasn't going to hear anything else. Sighing, he popped open the cap of the bottle and lathered his torso with sunblock.

A loud disturbance from behind caught Roxas's attention. He whipped around to find Naminé gingerly rearranging the plastic cups that fell on their sides. She pulled her foot out of a nearby trash bag, a small pout on her lips. Her eyes widened when she noticed Roxas watching her in amusement.

"Did you not see the giant black bag at the end of the table?" He asked condescendingly.

"I was a bit… distracted." Naminé quickly folded her sketchbook and stuck a charcoal pencil into the spiral spine.

Roxas eyed the sketchbook in her hands and noted that she was still fully dressed. "Where were you the whole time?"

"What does it matter to you?" Naminé brushed by him, locating her bag in the sand.

"Would it kill you to answer my question without some scathing remark?"

The question caught Naminé off-guard. She stopped sifting through her bag, staring at Roxas like he'd grown another head. Snapping out of her trance, she returned to her task, albeit a little more calmly. "I was doing a quick sketch of the bent palm."

Roxas didn't get anything else out of the artist. After taking suntan lotion from her bag, she walked closer to the water. Roxas watched her the whole time. What was her deal anyway?

He thought about following her, but froze in place when she hitched her sundress up. In one fluid motion, she took off the extra layer, revealing a white bikini underneath.

Roxas felt his heart racing in his chest, but couldn't bring himself to look away.

He stared shamelessly. A breath caught in his throat as Naminé bent down to spread her lotion over her legs, all the way up to the golden rings that connected her bikini bottom around her hips. Her hands traveled over her flat stomach, stroked each arm, and finally over the exposed skin of her chest. Then, her hands wiped along her lower back. Roxas watched in amazement as she managed to cover every corner of her back with her fingertips, reaching those pesky places by simply pushing her chest out.

"Wow. At least close your mouth."

Roxas snapped out of his trance and felt his face burn in mortification. He was caught.

By Axel, no less.

His best friend sniggered. "It's nothing to be ashamed of. It's perverted, but your interest is completely natural."

Roxas lightly slapped his cheeks, trying to play it off. He couldn't look at Axel without feeling exposed. "It's not what you think it is."

"Right. I didn't just see you gaping or anything. But don't worry, you're secret is safe with me." Axel tapped his chin. "Unless, of course, it slips my tongue after a few drinks. I won't be responsible for what I say if it gets to that point."

Roxas glared at him. "Are you—"

"Threatening you? Perhaps. How could I not with black mail like this?" Axel pulled out his phone and wiggled it in front of him.

The teen crossed his arms. "Do you really think I'm falling for that?"

Axel shrugged, showing him the screen as a low voice narrated the video. "_In its peculiar mating ritual, the species Roxas partakes in small sessions of voyeurism as it scopes the territory—"_

"Turn that off!" Roxas attempted to take the phone, but Axel leapt away with a laugh.

"What do you think? Is this not worthy of peer review and a small segment on TV?"

Roxas attempted to steal the phone, but failed yet again. "What do you want, Axel?"

Axel blinked. "Nothing. I just wanted to let you know that you have to be a little more secretive. Had it been anyone else, they would've thought you a pervert or something." Axel promptly deleted the video, much to Roxas's relief. "Judging by your tone, it sounds like you haven't forgiven me."

"Deleting that video was a start."

"I'm not sorry." Axel said with finality. "But I see that you've at least come to terms with a few things. I expected you to be staring down Riku."

Roxas narrowed his eyes, searching the beach for his brother's best friend. "When did Riku come by?"

"Oh my." Axel said with a wry smile. "You were so engrossed with Naminé that you didn't notice that?" Axel pointed toward the water. Sure enough, Xion was perched on Riku's shoulders engaging Kairi and Sora in a little competition.

"What do you want me to say, Axel?" Roxas rubbed his eyebrows in irritation.

"Nothing, Roxas. Nothing at all."

Roxas and Axel remained silent until the older boy walked off. Roxas was left alone to wallow in his own frustration.

Underneath all his public opinions of the troublesome blonde, Roxas never thought of her as anything short of pretty. She was beautiful, even. He really wished his attraction didn't exist. How could he find her so attractive if her personality repelled him so strongly? It sucked.

But it almost certainly had to do with their early childhood.

Despite what he told people, Roxas remembered the moment that started it all. It was a secret he shared with no one, and he would take it to the grave if he had to. He wondered if Naminé remembered it too.

Roxas laughed humorlessly. If she did, then they could have stopped fighting ages ago.

Not that it mattered now. The simple event came to define their future. Their relationship could be improved— it was happening now, after all— but Roxas doubted that it would ever be fixed.

Some things were just irreparable.

* * *

><p><strong>Redeeming Endeavor<strong>: Thank you so much for subscribing and adding this story to your favorites list! There's more favorites than alerts for this story now :-)

For taking the time to review, special thanks goes out to **Tenshi Yami- Angel of Darkness, shadowwulfx, Morgead'sgirl, Zoe the Hunter, the ultimate kh fan, Burai Stelar, Twin Toshiro, RoxasLuvsCookies, Allied Forces, zestycrouton, xoKyorii, Ash09, Gear001, Muledragon, dreamingleaf7, elspoek1, Brown Eyed Sage, Stonekipsta, Lupus7, eion sairy, li'miss sunshine, Hegodart, Spellbound a.k.a soragirl4ever, KurukiXV, PEANUT v1.2, Draco Oblivion! notforyoutono** (sorry about the birthday miss.)**, ventus4ever, Aaralynne, Topaz Tsubasa, 0Wishful-Thoughts0, Shire Folk,** and **abidethestance.**

Chapter Data: Word Count- 7,805. Total Editing Time- 604 minutes.

Harmless Author Fact 14: I don't handle large crowds and public speaking very well. In fact, I make efforts to avoid those situations if I can.

Take care guys. I'll see you around!


	15. Action Potential

**Redeeming Endeavor:** Rated T for sexual themes, use of profanity, and illegal consumption of substances of which I do not endorse.

* * *

><p><span>Chapter 15: Action Potential<span>

"I got it, Roxas!"

"Set! Set! Set!"

"Go!"

Roxas leapt as high as his legs would allow, slamming his hand into the volleyball placed perfectly by Sora's set. He watched the ball fly at a steep angle to the corner of the court, barely landing within the lines.

"Yes!" Sora cheered wildly behind the blonde. Before Roxas could do anything else, his brother mauled him, sending the twins into the sand. "We won! We won!"

Roxas grimaced, attempting to free himself from his brother's grasp. "Ugh, get off me! You're so freaking sweaty!"

Sora laughed, hopping to his feet and pulling Roxas up after. He attempted to wipe the sand from his face, but he only worsened his condition when his sandy fingers made contact with his eyelids. "Ah! My face!"

Roxas rolled his eyes as a smile formed on his face. "You're kind of an idiot."

Sora squeezed his eyes shut, laughing at himself. "Do you think you can get Kairi for me?"

"Kairi!" Roxas called out. That was the extent of the aid he gave his brother. He turned to their beaten opponents, not surprised to see both of them exhausted. "You guys all right?"

Ven cracked a smile. "I can stand, so I think I'm all right." The uncanny look-alike turned to his teammate. "Hayner, you planning on getting up anytime soon?"

"Kairi! I need your help!"

Sora attempted to walk toward the water with his eyes closed, but he tripped on a small dune. Everyone ignored his unmanly shriek.

"Give me some time," Roxas's coworker laughed as he lay in the sand. "I'm not going to be able to move tomorrow morning."

"You should have exercised a little more," Roxas chuckled, pulling his friend to his feet. "Or does a five set volleyball match fill your whole summer quota?"

"You got that right," Hayner panted. "Dude, the water is looking really good right now."

Roxas set his sights on the glistening water, becoming more aware of how hot and exhausted he felt. "I was doing just fine until you mentioned it."

"Ack! My eyes! They burn! They burn!"

The blond twin sighed in between labored breaths. "Sora, quit rubbing your eyes."

"But it hurts so much!"

"That's because… ugh," Roxas gave up. He went over to Sora and picked him up, throwing his sandy arm over his shoulders. "Can you please stop being so embarrassing?"

Sora turned his head, his eyes squeezed shut. He grinned. "Sorry, Roxas. I didn't mean to damage your swag."

The blond shook his head, following Ven and Hayner to the water. "I could drop you right now."

"At least take me to the water," Sora said cheekily. As the water lapped at their feet, Sora tore away from his brother and tossed himself into the waves. He stayed underwater for a bit before resurfacing, his face now clear of sand.

"Better?" Roxas fell to his knees, sighing as the cold water washed over him. He shivered in relief.

Slowly opening his eyes, Sora turned around and sat up. "A little."

Roxas laughed at Sora's bloodshot eyes. "You look awful."

"You look tired," Sora shot back.

"We can't all have an unlimited source of energy," Roxas shrugged.

The two of them fell into a silence, smiling as the water rinsed the heat off their bodies. Despite the setting sun, the air still felt dry and hot. Roxas was thankful that the water was cold and relieving. He glanced at his brother, who once again dunked his head below the water's surface. Despite their differences, Roxas felt a sense of pride in knowing that they were siblings. He wasn't dead weight when it came to sports, and his brain certainly made up for his lesser athletic ability, but Sora carried them to victory.

"Hey," Roxas called to his brother. "We make a good team, don't we?"

Sora smiled, bumping Roxas's outstretched fist with his own. "You bet!" He put his weight on his hands, leaning back into the water. "We're pretty much unstoppable."

"How do we excuse losing two of the five sets?" Roxas laughed.

Sora shrugged. "We like to play with our food before we eat it." He laughed along with his brother, unable to maintain his bravado. "Either way, I always knew we were gonna win."

"Yeah, and we won in the end, after all." Roxas shifted his attention to a fast-approaching jet ski a little farther out to sea. "Is that Riku?"

"Has to be. Oh look!" Sora pointed to the ski tube following a couple ways behind. "So that's why Kairi wasn't answering me."

Roxas shielded his eyes from the sun and looked to where Sora was pointing. He saw Xion and Kairi on the tube, holding on tightly as the Riku sped by. A wave sent the tube flying into the air, and it landed with what looked like a hard bounce. Kairi, unable to hang on, flew off the tube like a ragdoll and crashed into the water.

The boys, along with Xion and Riku, broke into a fit of laughter as Kairi resurfaced.

"You okay?" Riku yelled, turning his jet ski around.

"That was awesome!" Kairi laughed. The redhead turned to shore, spotting Roxas and Sora sitting in the water. "Sora! Did you see that?"

"It looked like it hurt!"

"She got shitwrecked," Roxas said at a volume only Sora could hear. "Oh, looks like she's swimming over here."

Sora swam out a bit to meet her, and it was far enough so that Roxas couldn't hear. He turned his attention to Xion, who waved at him from the ski tube. He waved back before Riku led her away. When he returned his gaze back to Sora and Kairi, he immediately looked away. With Sora and Kairi pressed together so closely, he assumed that she displaced her bathing suit underneath the life vest she wore.

Seeing as how Hayner and Ven were having their own conversation, Roxas chose to return to the picnic table. After a final rinse, he crawled out of the water and walked along the wet sand to avoid the hotter surface farther inland. He reached the point parallel to the food site and made his way up. As he approached, the music blaring from the old stereo got louder and louder.

To his surprise, he spotted Naminé sitting on the picnic bench. A red cup sat between her knees as she wrote something down in her sketchbook. She didn't notice his approach until he was only a few feet away.

He couldn't stop a smile from forming on his face, however much he wanted it not to happen.

Naminé was the first to speak. "You and Sora had quite the long game." She didn't bother to look up from her sketchbook.

Roxas snuck a peek. A rough sketch of the sunset filled the page, along with color prompts in the lightly written in the spaces of the major subjects. He looked away, noticing how she closed her book and kept it out of view.

"You were watching?" he asked, resuming the conversation she started.

"I looked over every now and then," She admitted with a shrug. "And every time I did, Sora was making some ridiculous save."

The corners of Roxas's lips tweaked. "Ven and Hayner had some good hits. Plus, Sora had back court most of the time." He didn't know why he felt the need to explain. He also didn't understand why he felt a little hurt that Naminé only noted Sora.

"I don't think he ever gets tired." Naminé laughed to herself. She turned around just as Roxas managed to extract his own cup from a bag. She picked up a permanent marker nearby and handed it to him. "Wait. You're gonna need this. Selphie didn't buy enough cups, so we're marking them with names."

"Oh, thanks." Roxas took the marker and wrote his name along the curvy surface of his cup.

"You're such a show-off." Naminé remarked, a hint of a smile on her face.

"What'd I do?"

"Did you have to use your left hand to write that?"

Roxas froze as an old memory flew back to him. He immediately turned to Naminé, who appeared troubled by her own words. Puzzled but hopeful, Roxas opened his mouth to ask a question. "Hey, do you—"

"I think I'm going to go on a short walk…" Naminé muttered before stalking off.

"Wait!" Roxas attempted to grab Naminé's wrist, but she quickly brought it closer to her body and moved on without another word. Though he really wanted to chase her, Roxas rooted himself where he stood, paralyzed by the shock of her words. He watched her walk at a brisk pace, away from their friends and toward the emptier side of the beach.

Roxas fell onto the picnic bench, empty cup in hand. What were the chances, he thought. Just earlier in the day, he had thought about the very same memory. What were the chances that she, inadvertent as it was, would bring it up as well?

It was apparent to Roxas that he wasn't the only one who remembered their past. She wouldn't have noted his writing hand if she didn't remember. She also called him a show-off, which indicated that she knew he didn't always use left hand for writing. If she knew that much, then she probably— no, _had_ to remember that defining event.

Roxas stared down at his empty cup and frowned.

Before the day ended, he decided that he and Naminé were going to have a long talk.

* * *

><p>The sky went dark late in the day, and one by one the stars filled the empty void hanging above. Play Island was far enough from the coastal lights that most of the stars were visible and offered one of the better stargazing experiences, much to Roxas's delight. In addition to that, a few clouds tamed the light of the moon. The stars would be even more visible had Roxas moved farther away from the fire.<p>

But the fire was a necessity. Not only did it light up their party site, but it kept them at a cozy warmth. Though the day had been very hot, nights along the beach cooled considerably in part of the water and sea breeze. There was a constant wind blowing inland, carrying the cool air over the sea to the sandy beaches.

Roxas shivered slightly as he lay in the sand. After the strange debacle with Naminé, he felt the need to isolate himself from everyone else. He picked a spot a good walk away from the picnic table— the location where all of his friends gathered— and stayed there throughout the sunset. He didn't have a problem with any of them, but he needed some time to sort out his thoughts.

It became obvious to him that Naminé was making efforts to avoid him anyway. She returned from her walk not too long after she left, but she refused to acknowledge his presence and instead surrounded herself with other people. And every time he returned to the table to refill his drink, she never even looked in his direction.

"Hey, aren't you hungry at all?"

Roxas lifted his head from the sand and allowed Xion to settle next to him. She dropped a plate on his chest as she dug her feet into the cool sand.

Roxas looked down at the plate, grabbing one of the four slices of pizza stacked on top of each other. "Thanks." He mumbled. He bit into his food and resumed his stargazing.

"Hey, help me find the Big Dipper." Xion nudged as she stared up at the sky.

Roxas took only a second before pointing at a certain area of the sky. "Right there. Follow the stars that make the handle."

Xion searched the sky and smiled when she recognized the famed figure. "Ah, how did I miss it?"

"Inexperience," Roxas said matter-of-factly. "If you go to the very end of the Dipper, you can find Polaris as well. Just go up in a straight line…" Roxas pointed the way to the North Star with pizza slice in hand.

"And there's the Little Dipper." Xion finished, drawing out the figure with her finger. She fell back into the sand next to Roxas. "You'd think I'd get the hang of this after doing it every winter."

Roxas smiled. "Some of us are slow learners."

Xion gave him a playful shove. "I'll have you know that I can pick out Orion's Belt like a pro now."

"You don't say…" Roxas elevated himself onto his elbow, careful to place the plate of pizza on Xion. "Are you telling me you're able to spot what's possibly the _most_ recognizable star arrangement in the sky?"

"Be quiet, you!" Xion grabbed a slice of pizza. "Forgive me for not spending hours of my time staring at lights in the sky that probably no longer exist."

"Touché," Roxas laughed as he chewed on the crust of his first pizza. He returned to his previous position after picking up another pizza.

They lay in silence for a long time, content with staring up at stars and listening to the occasional outburst coming from the party site. Every now and then they would exchange a look or glance, usually because they managed to take an overheard sentence and change the context to something funnier.

Roxas somewhat forgot how much he enjoyed having Xion around. They didn't really have to be doing anything either, but just having her in the vicinity was a comforting notion. Her presence alone seemed to make him a little more cheerful, if not downright happy.

He turned his head, staring directly at his best friend. A calm smile graced her face as her eyes took in the light of the sky. It took her a few moments before she noticed Roxas staring. With a puzzled smile, Xion asked, "What's up?"

Roxas shrugged, returning his gaze to the stars. "Nothing really. I just enjoy moments like these."

Xion moved closer to him so she could lean her head on his shoulder. "I'm glad the presence of your best friend doesn't bother you."

"It never will," Roxas noted quietly. "Xion, have you ever found yourself thinking about something from the past that involves another person and she coincidentally brings it up that same day?"

"Care to explain? That sounds a little confusing." Xion furrowed her brow.

"Say, for example, you were randomly thinking about the very first thing you said to me."

"You mean when I asked if you were left-handed too?"

"Yeah," Roxas nodded. "After thinking about that memory, I bring it up without you ever telling me that it crossed your mind."

"Ah, I see what you mean!" Xion exclaimed. "That's happened to me before."

"Pretty weird when it does, right?"

"Definitely," Xion nodded. "Can I ask why you brought this up?"

Roxas shifted uncomfortably. "It sorta happened to me today when I was talking to Naminé."

"Oh my. You've been spending quite a lot of time with her," Xion remarked slyly.

"Because of you."

"Oh, right," Xion rubbed her cheek in embarrassment. "Forgot about that."

Roxas perked up. "Wait, seriously? Are you telling me that I could've just done what I wanted?"

Xion smirked confidently. "Isn't that what you've been doing anyway?"

A twitch of his lips was all the indication Roxas allowed. "I wouldn't have wasted my time had I known you didn't care."

"I don't think any of it was wasted time. Besides, you're breaking the rules right now anyway," Xion pointed over to where Sora and Kairi were sitting. "I don't see Naminé in the vicinity."

Roxas frowned, resting his head in the sand once again. "It's not my fault. Naminé is the one avoiding me."

Xion stilled, intrigued by Roxas's obvious displeasure with his situation. Perhaps it had something to do with his earlier question. "Why is that? Did you bring up something from the past?"

Roxas looked away. "Not really."

"Then what?"

Though he was clearly uncomfortable, Roxas explained. "Remember when I told you that I didn't remember how Naminé and I started fighting?" He continued after Xion nodded. "I lied."

"I figured that much," His best friend took it in stride. "Why?"

"Because it's embarrassing," Roxas frowned. "You won't understand."

"I won't have a chance to unless you tell me."

The blond sighed, taking the last piece of pizza from the plate that rested on his chest. "We were really young, probably four or five years old. It was the first day of school, and all of us had to say something special about ourselves."

"That's adorable," Xion giggled. She grabbed Roxas's left hand, holding it up against her own. "Let me guess: you told everyone you were ambidextrous?"

"I tried to," Roxas cracked a smile. "I couldn't pronounce the word at the time, so instead everyone thought my name was Andy Dexter."

Xion bit her lip, the thought of a young Roxas amusing her greatly. "Wow, you're adorable."

Roxas blushed. "A-Anyway, after showing everyone what I meant—"

"How'd you do that?"

"By writing my name. Though I'm pretty sure my A's were backwards in both cases."

"Haha! Sorry, go on."

"After that, I went to my seat. At the time, I just knew her as the girl who liked to color," Roxas recalled. "I don't think I need to explain who that girl was."

Xion smiled, pulling up from her position to lean on her elbow. "Paired up right from the start."

"Only to screw up everything," Roxas finished. "Of course, the first… assignment, I guess, was a coloring project. It was going pretty well until I had to switch to my left hand. When I did, I accidentally hit Naminé's arm with my elbow."

Xion smiled sympathetically. "I have a feeling this is going to be a letdown."

"She got really mad at me when I did that and told me I was using the _wrong_ hand," Roxas said quietly. "I told her it was easier when I had to color the other side of the page, but she didn't really care. I got angry at her, so the next time I bumped her, it was on purpose." Roxas shifted in the sand, tucking his hands underneath his head. "It messed up her coloring pretty badly, so naturally she cried."

Noticing how morose Roxas became, Xion opted to keep her opinions to herself.

"I remember how angry I was back then, and it's kind of weird. The way I thought was just… strange. I thought she made fun of me, so I wanted to get her back," Roxas said with a humorless laugh. "I was stupid."

You were young," Xion assured. "As juvenile as the thinking was, it's normal. It's expected."

"I guess, but that was the defining moment." Roxas raised his hands in front of him. "I'd be lying if I said that day had no influence on my writing hand. I think I'm slightly better with my left, but I convinced myself that using that for writing was the wrong hand. Silly, isn't it?"

Xion gently took Roxas's hands and gripped them in her own. "You've always had a problem when it came to forgiving yourself," Xion reminded. "I think you're giving this one event too much credit."

"Too much credit?" Roxas repeated incredulously. "Xion, anyone with eyes and ears would see that Naminé and I can't be within a few feet of each other before starting a fight."

"Not anymore though!" Xion defended. "You can deny it all you want, but I know that you guys have improved. I've been watching. You say that you can't help but fight, but just yesterday I caught you playing games with her. Not only that, but you two are apparently capable of working as a team."

Roxas pressed his lips together stubbornly. "I guess…"

"You know I'm right!"

"That still doesn't change the fact that I can't talk to her without somehow twisting the conversation into an argument or fight of some sort," Roxas said with a hint of exasperation. "I just don't know how to talk to her normally!"

"Do you have to?" Xion asked the question as soon as Roxas finished. "As unusual as your behavior may be around each other, I think you guys found something that works. It's just the way you are. If you guys have conversations filled with backhanded compliments and jabbing insults, then so be it. Heck, we occasionally tease each other too."

"Yeah, but we can have conversations like these!" Roxas scratched his head in frustration. "We pretend to be condescending and tease each other for fun, but when we want to talk about something serious, we can turn that off. With Naminé, I…"

"Do you want to change things with her?" Xion asked bluntly.

"I don't really know what I want," Roxas admitted. "She's just… she's just really confusing."

"To you, perhaps. You wanna know what I think?" Xion asked as she stood on her feet. She didn't wait for his answer before continuing. "I think you want to fix things between the two of you, but you're still in denial. It all comes down to the fact that you two have this sort of chemistry, which unsettles you because you can't bring yourself to believe that it's possible between you two."

"How does that make any sense?"

"Just think about it." Xion held out both of her hands for Roxas to take. "If you ask me, keep changing as you are now. I used to think that you guys could do without all the fighting, but I think it's a part of your strange relationship."

"Don't be ridiculous..." Roxas blushed slightly before taking Xion's hands. He easily stood with her help and wiped the sand that stuck to his body.

"If you come to accept it, I think you'll find that I'm actually being truthful." Grabbing Roxas's arm, Xion began to pull him toward their friends. "Let's go and party now, all right? We've done enough thinking for the night, and now we just need to loosen up and have fun."

Roxas warily eyed the drinks that rested in everyone's hand and groaned. "Yeah, 'cause I can't wait to see everyone drunk in a couple hours."

* * *

><p>What Roxas was dreading the whole night finally came to happen only an hour after he joined everyone.<p>

"Oops!"

Roxas flinched, helping Selphie back onto her feet and off his lap. "You okay?" He asked tentatively.

"Pfft, I'm fine! Sorry about that," she said with a giggle.

Roxas smiled weakly as his tipsy friend walked off.

There were few things in the world that made Roxas more uncomfortable than being surrounded by drunken people. He himself didn't drink alcohol, so he often found himself to be the subject of sobriety and witness of embarrassing material. Besides, he didn't quite understand the appeal of getting drunk or consuming the drinks illegally. He had to admit, though: it made him feel out of place at times. He didn't quite understand a lot of the jokes that flew between his inebriated companions, but whatever they whispered unintelligibly through cupped hands, it was downright hilarious.

He always wondered why people chose to drink to the point of losing themselves. Was the hangover in the morning really worth it? He didn't know. He _wouldn't_ know, and he probably never would. But he wasn't one to judge. He knew for a fact his friends weren't the only ones in the world to ignore the rules.

Nevertheless, he felt a twinge of disappointment when he saw Naminé holding a bottle of hard lemonade across the fire. She seemed to be laughing a lot with Aqua and Kairi, leading him to assume that the drink in her hand was not her first.

He didn't take her as someone who drank, but expected her to be more like him. It surprised him, but he didn't allow anyone to notice.

Roxas took a look around the fire, gauging everyone's sobriety. Based on their behavior, he concluded that Selphie and Olette were already drunk, Ven and most of the guys were about to join them, and Sora and Kairi were content with the occasional sip from the same bottle.

On his left, Xion conversed animatedly with Riku. He'd grab a piece of the conversation every now and then, but it seemed to border either total incoherence or an inside joke. Both of them were laughing a lot.

It was pretty annoying.

On his right sat Axel, who was probably as sober as he was. Axel was a guy who could hold his alcohol, and he liked to call it both a blessing and a curse. A blessing because it was hard for him to get drunk, but a curse because it was "mad expensive" to get him inebriated when he wanted to be.

He and Axel had quietly come to some sort of understanding as soon as Roxas joined the camp fire. They hadn't said anything to each since the sun was still up, but they knew that no apologies were necessary.

Just beyond Axel were Sora and Kairi. The couple stared deeply into the fire, seemingly mesmerized by the way it danced and flickered. Roxas watched in amusement. Maybe their drink opened a part of their minds and made fire infinitely more interesting. Perhaps they'd have a heart-to-heart with Axel later.

"Are you listening to those two?"

Roxas shifted his attention to his best friend— the one that wasn't flirting with Riku— and looked around the fire. "Which two?"

"Selphie and Olette," Axel said. "I don't think they're aware of how loud they're talking, but for the past couple minutes Olette has been telling Selphie all about her first time with Hayner."

Roxas flicked his gaze to Hayner. The boy had fallen asleep. "Huh. The cat's officially out of the bag."

"And then some," Axel chuckled. "Selphie now knows how clumsy Hayner is in bed. And apparently their first time was a failure."

"I don't think this was meant for our ears," Roxas said before taking a gulp from his water bottle.

"Well I heard it all. Poor guy had no idea what he was doing and couldn't find the right place to—"

"Ugh, Axel!"

"I'm just repeating what I heard."

"Fire!"

Everyone— excluding Axel, Sora, and Kairi— flinched away from the sudden surge of heat. Roxas looked around for the person who stirred up the flames.

It was Naminé.

"Somebody get that girl under control!" Riku joked after the fire subsided. The group laughed, but someone took Riku seriously enough and extracted the bottle of lighter fluid from Naminé's hands.

"My goodness she's hot," Axel observed. He turned to Roxas quickly. "The fire, I mean. Not Naminé."

"Of course you did," Roxas shook his head. He spotted Naminé walking toward Kairi and Sora, a huge smile on her face. The couple, still entranced by the flames, continued to add small branches to feed the fire that flashed with new life. He laughed when she inserted herself between them.

"I think she's a little tipsy," Xion whispered into Roxas's ear. "She's super bubbly right now. Guess she's one of_ those_ kinds of drunks."

"Is that rum?" Roxas turned around to face Xion.

"Coconut mixed with cherry soda. Did you even hear what I just said?"

"I did, but your alcohol breath was really distracting," Roxas flinched backward when Xion intentionally sent a breath his way. "Very funny."

"You're welcome to try some," Xion said, holding her cup out to him. "I have no intentions of getting drunk before midnight."

Roxas raised a brow. "So it's free game when the clock strikes twelve?"

"Pretty much!" Xion giggled and took another sip of her drink. "Will you look at those two? They're hammered."

Roxas followed Xion's finger. Sure enough, she was pointing to Olette and Selphie. "Yeah, Axel already pointed them out. Olette divulged some private information and… yeah. Oh no, they're standing up…"

"Excuse me, everyone!" Selphie and Olette stood, inexplicably laughing. "I think it is the perfect time to start a drinking game!" Selphie exclaimed as she held her arms out.

A few murmurs followed.

"Wow, they're totally trashed."

"Someone got shitfaced…"

"They're gonna hate themselves in the morning."

"I'd still tap that."

Roxas blanched. Who the hell said that?

"Listen guys, listen." Olette quieted the group. Roxas noted it was hard to take a droopy-eyed Olette seriously. "Listen. Listen. Guys, listen. Guys. Guys."

"You sound like a broken washing machine!" Selphie doubled over as she burst out laughing.

"What the hell does that mean?" Olette howled before breaking into a fit of giggles. The girls fell to their knees, laughing at their own joke.

"How does any of this make sense?" Roxas facepalmed, hiding his smile from everyone. He might have been the uncool kid for not drinking, but at least he knew he wasn't the one embarrassing himself in front of everyone.

"Who knows?" Xion shrugged. "At least we get a free show."

After a few more minutes of their antics, Selphie and Olette tried to explain a game they had in mind. Thankfully, Aqua and Ven stepped in to put the largely incoherent rules in simple terms.

"All right. So basically, it's 'Never Have I Ever' mixed with 'Bullshit' mixed with 'Truth or Dare.' We're gonna—"

"I need a refill…" Selphie got up to get more alcohol, but Pence and Ven stopped her.

"We're going to go around the circle and say our thing," Aqua continued. "If our experience does not coincide with the person, we drink. The twist is that you can lie. You can lie by making up a fact about yourself, or you can lie by not taking a drink when somebody says something that you've done."

"For example, never have I ever left Destiny Islands," Ven said. "If you have left Destiny Islands before, you drink. If you have and you want to lie, you don't drink. The key is to call someone out for lying. You can call me out if you knew that I lied, or call someone out who hasn't taken a drink. At this point, we have to trust everyone to tell the truth."

Aqua resumed the explanation. "If you're called out for your lie, not only do you have to drink, but the person who called you out is entitled to ask you a truth or dare."

"That's a game that'll get people smashed if I've ever seen one," Axel whispered to Roxas with a snicker.

"This has the potential to start so many fights…" Roxas groaned. If the game revolved around calling people out, he prayed he wasn't someone's target. Perhaps the fact that he was drinking a non-alcoholic beverage would deter people from pointing him out. His drink wasn't really slurring his speech or impairing his judgment.

"So the last one standing is the winner?" Riku asked.

"If we even get that far, yes. There's a lot of us, and something tells me we won't make it to the end of this game." Aqua sent a quick glance leftward where Ven was trying to seat the two party spirits.

"The person who loses first though is the party's beer bitch!" Selphie shouted. "And that person has to fetch and deliver all the refills if someone requests it."

"Just what you need, more beer…" Riku chuckled. "Well, fine. Let's start this thing up. Who's going first?"

* * *

><p>Like most of their drinking games, this one started off slow since everyone attempted to remember the rules. The game started with relatively tame facts as people named off boring experiences. Pence, for example, had never seen snow. Much to everyone's surprise, Selphie never had a fake ID (only Riku and Axel drank to that), Ven had never been to Radiant Garden, and Aqua had never been to Disney World.<p>

_Everyone_ forced her to drink with them, if only to drown her sorrows for never visiting the Happiest Place on Earth.

Roxas knew his friends better than that though. These facts were meant to get everyone drinking. Drinking led to a more social crowd. The increased openness meant the drunken spilling of everyone's darkest secrets.

Everyone was a winner. They were all losers too, but drunkenness had a way of keeping that thought at bay.

"Never have I ever learned how to read music," Olette declared. At some point during the game, Pence voluntarily got up to refill Olette's drink with water. She became marginally calmer that way.

"Bull," Naminé countered loudly. Everyone turned to face the giggling blonde. "I know for a fact that Hayner plays guitar. Like hell he wouldn't teach you!"

"Aww shit, Naminé called her out!" Sora covered his mouth in shock, trying to stir up some drama. Apparently a couple sips of his drink brought him back from the world of fire-staring.

Olette shrugged and took a drink of her water. "Damn, I know that would've gotten everyone here…"

"Pfft, I don't know how to read music," Selphie scoffed. "I would've been fine."

"Yeah, but you're already wasted," Ven patted her head before turning to Naminé. "So what will it be?"

"Good question!" Naminé clapped her hands together, a crooked smile on her face. "Olette, truth or dare?"

"Dare me. Let's see what you got!" Olette challenged, much to the delight of everyone around the campfire.

"Fine. I dare you to…" Naminé looked around, making eye contact with everyone as she tried to come up with an idea. She stopped when her eyes landed on Hayner, who was still asleep between Pence and Ven.

"I dare you to teabag Hayner."

"…"

"…"

"… Is she serious?"

"Ahahahaha!" Axel broke the silence with a loud laugh. "Naminé, that is probably the best thing you've said all day!"

Roxas and the group joined in a second later, adding to the laughing cacophony. The sheer ridiculousness of the dare was funny enough, but the fact that it came from Naminé surprised everyone, including Roxas.

He'd never really seen the Naminé currently on display.

Roxas clutched his sides when Olette stood up and stretched, indicating that she was actually going through with the dare. He knew there was no way Olette would actually do such a thing while sober; for once, he was actually glad she was drunk.

As Olette slowly snuck over to her boyfriend, a chorus of groans and snickers filled the space.

"Oh no… no way…"

"Aww hell no, she's actually doing it!"

"I can't watch this…"

"I cannot believe this is happening!"

"This is going to be hilarious."

"Man, I wish I was Hayner right now."

Roxas cocked his head and desperately searched for the person who spoke the last thing he heard. _What the hell?_

Axel whipped out his phone, quickly turning on the camera. "I have to record this. I just have to."

Roxas shook his head, making sure to stay out of the camera's view. "That's going to be online by tomorrow morning, isn't it?"

Axel held his phone up, not even bothering to hide the fact that he was recording. "Of course! Oh— oh shit, she's—"

Chaos erupted around the fire as Olette tea bagged Hayner not once, not twice, but _three _times.

She fell into the sand next to Hayner, unable to stand any longer. The crowd roared and howled, laughing wildly. Xion and Riku had fallen onto their backs after witnessing the dare, unable to put together even the simplest of sentences. Kairi had her face stuffed into Sora's chest in disbelief while her boyfriend wiped a few tears that left his eyes. Axel, somehow, had fallen on top of Roxas.

The loud laughter was enough to wake even Hayner, who, in his dazed state, asked Olette what was going on. She patted his head gently and told him to go back to sleep.

When the chaos finally subsided, Roxas sucked in multiple deep breaths in an effort to dispel the cramp in his side. The game resumed, only the facts seemed to take a more daring turn. After Naminé's dare, everyone was in the mood to start getting crazy. Roxas decided that the group had officially reached the threshold of the fun, or the point where people were buzzed enough to do— or say— something stupid.

"Never have I ever…" Kairi paused for dramatic effect, "Never have I ever had a soul!"

"Ooooh!" Axel hopped to his feet, pointing at everyone and laughing maniacally. "Drink, biatch! Drink!" The redheads high-fived, reveling in their soulless moment while everyone shook their heads. Though the two barely knew each other, they were apparently alliance by some bond known only to them.

"Why are we so awesome?" Kairi asked Axel while they returned to their places.

"I ask myself that every time I wake up and begin my day, to be honest," Axel remarked.

Naminé came next. A few people muttered in excitement, hoping Naminé would state something juicy or at least funny. Their expectations were met with slight disappointment.

"Never have I ever kissed a girl," Naminé declared from her spot between Kairi and Sora.

Roxas discreetly sipped his water when the other guys drank. Just when he thought he got away with his lie, he made the mistake of meeting Kairi's eyes.

_Damn it._

Kairi pointed directly at Roxas with a cruel smile on her face. "That's a load of crap if I've ever seen one."

Everyone— save for Naminé, Roxas noted— cheered when Kairi called him out. Roxas quickly tried to come up with a lie or at least pursue one, but he knew it was futile. He could have made up some story about how he kissed someone when he was younger, but Kairi wouldn't have any of it.

Roxas resorted to whatever he had left. "It's kind of pointless to call me out, Kairi. It's not like drinking this is gonna make me crazier."

"I'm glad you made the distinction, Roxas," Kairi said as she clapped her hands together, "but 'kind of'' is different from 'not' isn't it?"

The way Kairi looked at that moment personified everything evil in the world. Roxas wrote himself a little reminder to warn Sora that his girlfriend might be a vessel for demons to walk the earth.

Soulless bodies were probably ideal anyway.

The dreaded question dripped sweetly from the redhead's lips. "What will it be, Roxas? Truth or dare?"

The blond gulped. There was absolutely no way he would pick dare. He caught wind of Kairi's thoughts regarding his relationship with Naminé, and everything he came up with that Kairi could possibly use had to do with his antithesis. And if Kairi thought that Roxas was crushing on Naminé— and he certainly wasn't— then she would definitely exploit that.

Truth was safer. The most Kairi could get out of that was the fact that he thought Naminé was probably the prettiest girl he had ever encountered. Revealing that to everyone would definitely be embarrassing, but he knew everyone would agree.

No! No, it would be embarrassing because everyone would know that he found her physically attractive despite how embattled they were. Roxas's mind slowed. If everyone knew that, then chances were that they'd jump on Kairi's bandwagon.

But that was a chance Roxas was willing to take. The alternative was a more embarrassing and damaging dare.

His solution was simple. "Truth," he said confidently. A few people groaned about the sober kid, but Roxas went about formulating his answer in his mind. He simultaneously steeled himself for the inevitable.

Kairi thought for a moment before asking her question. "Let's say I spiked your drink so you wouldn't remember what happened for the rest of tonight when you woke up tomorrow morning. Who would you rather wake up next to, Xion or Naminé, and why?"

It took all of Roxas's efforts to not gape and ask if she was serious.

Whatever possessed Kairi a moment ago had apparently left her body. _That_ was her question? Sweet mercy! In his mind, Roxas was leaping for joy. He thanked whatever force out there helped him out before returning to the moment. It was probably the easiest question of his life. He didn't even have to think about it.

"Well that's easy," Roxas chuckled. Though unable to ignore the gleaming cerulean eyes staring from his periphery, Roxas looked directly at Kairi and answered. "I'd rather wake up with Xion. For one, we're best friends. Two, if it was Xion, then I know automatically that I didn't do anything weird or sexual or—"

Roxas paused. The gravity of his words hit him with the force of a thousand stampeding elephants.

"Wait—"

Too late.

His answer was eaten up by his friends like a horde of hungry hyenas. Every time Roxas tried to speak, his words were drowned by howls of laughter and screaming jokes. Axel went so far as to cradle Naminé in his arms and hide her from Roxas's view, declaring that he would protect her with his life. The temperature seemed to increase proportionally with the volume, and pretty soon Roxas found himself feeling extremely hot, embarrassed, and exposed.

"I can't believe you said that!" Xion pressed her forehead into Roxas's shoulder, her body seemingly vibrating from her giggle fit. "And poor Naminé!"

"K-Kairi tricked me!" Roxas crossed his arms stubbornly. He was sure his face was reddened.

"Yeah, a buzzed Kairi tricked a completely sober Roxas into thinking that 'spiked' meant 'turned into a rowdy sex beast' and that whoever you woke up with told you a lot about your previous night. Somebody thought about that one long and hard, huh? That's quite the imagination you got there." Xion nudged Roxas with her elbow.

"I didn't think about it at all!" Roxas groaned, hiding his face in his arms. "And of course nobody waits for my explanation!"

"Oh, you explained yourself all right." Axel dropped a heavy hand on Roxas's shoulder. "Now I see why you don't drink. You'd turn into a total sex fiend and hound after Naminé," Axel teased with a snicker.

"I guess underneath all those inhibitions, there's a darker side just begging for release," Xion joked, laughing at her awful pun.

"You guys are all assholes." Looking everywhere that didn't put Naminé in his line of sight, Roxas prayed that the group would get over his answer soon. A flood of regret filled him as he berated himself for answering without thinking. He apparently underestimated Kairi's craftiness. His brother's girlfriend was far more potent than she let on, and perhaps more dangerous while under the influence of liquor.

For a moment, he hoped that misfortune would fall upon Kairi, but took it back after a few seconds. It was his fault for not taking her seriously enough, and he promised himself not to let it happen again. Instead, a few revenge schemes lined up in his head. Kairi won a battle with embarrassing ease. He'd have to return the favor someday.

Though he looked directly at Kairi, Roxas couldn't help but succumb to a pull of his gaze. Catching a glimpse of her white dress, Roxas locked his eyes onto Naminé's form. A daring glance upward made his heart jump in shock.

Time seemed to slow as Naminé smirked, her smile all kinds of alluring. Roxas stared back. To his surprise, Naminé giggled behind a hand and flashed him a wink.

He immediately turned away.

If his mind wasn't jumbled before, it was now. Why did she wink at him? What did it mean, if anything? Roxas's head spun at a dizzying pace, unable to comprehend the simple act. But most of all, Roxas found himself deeply bothered by his reaction.

Naminé had an excuse— alcohol— to explain her actions. On the other hand, Roxas hadn't even taken a sip of the substance all night. Why was he the one feeling all weird and unsettled?

* * *

><p>As predicted, the game collapsed long before it could finish.<p>

Not that Kairi minded. If she drank any more, she would probably be in the same state as half her friends. It was a sound decision to stop drinking at the point between sobriety and total delirium.

She and Sora took a quiet leave and separated themselves from the rest of the chattering group. Kairi normally didn't mind being around their friends, but alone time with Sora was scarce. Plus, a few of their friends— her sister included— found it to their liking to insert themselves right in the middle of a private conversation or moment, so Kairi and Sora did what any smart couple would do.

The couple strolled along the long beach, the waves lapping at their ankles and erasing their footprints. Occasionally, a strong gust of wind would blow past, allowing the pair to walk even closer together. Hand in hand, Kairi and Sora continued on their path away from the campfire and toward a more private sanctuary.

The search for the entrance was methodical, and it didn't take long for them to find their secret pass. After a quick look around, Kairi followed Sora into a familiar and small cavern.

Kairi was grateful that Sora thought to bring one of the lanterns. She raised her hands before her to test her sight, but nothing was visible in the thick darkness. If not for Sora's presence a few steps ahead of her, fear would have quickly made its way into her system.

"I'm turning the lantern on, okay?" Sora's quiet voice echoed off the walls.

"Go for it." The darkness wasn't exactly a necessity in Kairi's book.

The dim glow of the lantern filled the cave with light, coloring the walls and vegetation that surrounded them. Little by little, Sora increased the intensity of the light until it reached its maximum output. The light reached nearly every facet of the cave, save for the farthest corners.

"When was the last time we were here? Spring break?" Kairi asked. The redhead ran her hand against the cold stone walls where they had drawn the silliest of illustrations.

"Yup. Riku came with us that time. I'm pretty sure we marked something new…" Sora bent down and observed a lower area of the wall. "Here it is!"

Kairi walked over to where Sora was crouching and placed her hands on his shoulders. "What _is_ that?"

"I think it's supposed to be a…" Sora tilted his head in an effort to make sense of the drawing, "… you know, I have no idea. But we wrote the date here, and that's all that matters!"

"To think your drawings would get worse with time." Kairi giggled, taking another walk around the cave.

A moment of silence passed before either of them spoke. "So you've _never_ forgotten a kiss, huh?"

Kairi raised a brow at Sora's skeptical tone, but smiled nonetheless. "Nope, not even once. Not even drunk ones." She turned away from him. "That was meant to get you to drink, what with all the girls that you've made out with."

Sora groaned, slapping his forehead with a hand. "I didn't _make out_ with a bunch of girls, Kairi. They were quick kisses that I had to do." Slightly offended that Kairi would think so lowly of him, he continued. "Besides, you can't make that claim anyway."

"What claim?"

"You can't claim that you have never forgotten a kiss," Sora said. "You _did_ forget a kiss, Kairi. But you wouldn't know that if you forgot that it happened, right? How can you say you've never forgotten something that you never remembered anyway?"

Confused, Kairi turned back to Sora. "Um, what? Isn't that the whole point of forgetting? Not remembering?"

"That's my point. You claimed to remember every kiss, but you can't because you can't remember the ones you've forgotten. To you, the kiss never happened. But to someone who remembers, the reality is that you forgot. What if I claimed that I never forgot how to spell a word I've seen at least once? Like the word 'sophisticated.'

"You point out one day that I spelled it incorrectly. I say that it's fine, because I say I've never encountered it before. _But, _you know for a fact that I have encountered the word before. You tell me that. My reality says that I never forgot how to spell something I've seen. Yours says that I've forgotten that I've encountered the word, and thus I _do_ forget how to spell words I've seen. Get it?"

Kairi blinked, astonished by the amount of thought Sora poured on her. "So apparently alcohol turns you into a philosopher."

Sora shrugged with a chuckle. "Maybe I should carry a flask of whiskey in school to improve my test scores."

"I see your point. Good job." Kairi folded her hands behind her back and smiled. "But there's a second point in there. Why bring it up? Are you saying that I have forgotten a kiss?"

"Yup," Sora nodded. "_Our_ first kiss."

Now Kairi was really confused. Did Sora remember that drunken night too? "When was this first kiss, exactly?"

"Think about it. I brought it up earlier today. The whole thing about our first meeting?" Sora attempted to lead Kairi through the memory.

So it wasn't the drunk one. "We were really young, and it was before school started too," Kairi recalled. "Riku was there too."

"Yup. Riku was the one to tell me to talk to you and ask you to be our friend." Sora walked closer to Kairi as if to simulate their childhood. "Don't you remember, Kairi? You were my first _girl friend_, after all."

Kairi's face went blank before her eyes widened. She quickly looked up at Sora, realization dawning on her.

She hit him hard on his chest.

"Ow!" He rubbed the spot where she punched him. "What was that for?"

"_What was that for?" _She repeated with a gape. "We had just met and you already kissed me! Haven't you heard of pacing?"

Sora stared, smiled, and then broke out laughing. The pain and the coming bruise were already forgotten. "Haha! You remember!"

"I can't believe you did that!" Kairi pointed an accusing finger at Sora.

"Riku tricked me! He said that boys are supposed to kiss their girlfriends— I swear I didn't get what he meant at the time— and since you agreed to be my friend, I just did what I was supposed to do!" Sora explained quickly.

"I can't believe this! You've always been a gigolo!" Kairi laughed as she dodged Sora's arms. "If I remembered, I would have seen this coming!"

"Oh stop it!" Seizing his opportunity, Sora wrapped his arms around Kairi and locked her in place. "I'm not a whore, Kairi."

"Could have fooled me." Kairi turned around in Sora's arms and cupped his face in her hands. "I think I made myself forget that moment. I didn't want to believe that I had cooties."

"You'd rather not have cooties than remember the day we met." Sora feigned disappointment, loosening his hold until his arms fell around her waist. "I see you have your priorities straight."

"I do now, so thanks for reminding me." Kairi pulled away slightly, taking in every feature of her best friend— no, boyfriend— in that fleeting moment. Had he always been that much taller than her? "Back then you had an infectious disease. Now, you're…" Kairi stopped herself, deciding that her words would be embarrassing.

Sora, however, was attentive enough to notice. "I'm what?" He asked teasingly, a sly grin curving his lips.

Kairi inwardly groaned. Did she have to say it? Probably. She was going to. Besides, Sora was her boyfriend. Better to say it in the confines of their privacy.

"Now, you're just really really hot and irresistibly kissable," Kairi admitted with a red face.

"How about a reintroduction then?" Sora's voice fell into a whisper as he leaned forward.

Kairi just about melted on her feet. If it wasn't for Sora holding her so closely to him, she was sure her legs would have given out.

After sending tremors of pleasure coursing through her body, Kairi felt numb in every area that wasn't somehow in contact with Sora's. It was if her senses homed in on the physical contact and focused on the sensations of her hands, lips, and lower back. His face felt warm beneath her fingertips. His hands, which pressed so strongly against her back that she lost her sense of self against him, set her nerves on fire.

And his lips. Each tiny movement and small adjustment sent shivers down her spine. Kairi was sure her mind blanked. She felt like she was being read perfectly, like an open book, and Sora merely acted on every one of her desires. His lips moved so perfectly, balanced between a lustful hunger and a restrained gentleness.

Kairi forced herself to part from him and breathed in the cool air with heavy breaths. With her forehead pressed against his, Kairi could feel the bursts of Sora's warm breath, stained slightly with the smell of alcohol, against her lips. Her hands slowly traveled from his face to his neck, and then down each of his arms. She was surprised to find his skin covered in goose bumps, the result of his hair standing on end. A surprising sense of pride filled her. Had she done that to him?

"W-We should probably head back soon," Sora said shakily. He slowly unwound his arms and returned them to his sides, but lightly kept a grasp on Kairi's hands with his fingers.

"Yeah, sounds like a good idea."

Awkwardly, Sora and Kairi knelt on the ground to pick up the lantern. Both of them stopped when the other reached for the handle.

Kairi dared to look into Sora's eyes at that moment. His gaze, normally a piercing blue, was glazed over with a new and powerful feeling. She recognized it. It was probably similar to the way she was staring at him too.

Lust.

Her gaze temporarily flicked over to Sora's hand, which rested on the handle of their light source. She was about to reach out and take his hand when it dropped to the small knob at the base.

Kairi met his eyes again, and she was sure they were thinking the exact same thing.

"I don't want to leave yet."

Kairi wasn't sure who vocalized the thought. It didn't matter. At that moment, she wanted nothing more than to indulge her feelings and satiate her desires.

As the light dimmed into total darkness, Kairi closed her eyes and fell back, embracing the warmth of Sora's body as his lips found hers once again.

* * *

><p>Roxas sat upon the bent palm, away from all the drunkenly dancing folks around the loud camp fire. After the game collapsed, Roxas quickly escaped to solitude, detouring only for a refill. No one had noticed he left, a fact that relieved him when someone loudly asked where "the sober kid" went. His presence was soon forgotten when somebody cranked up the stereo and brought it by the fire.<p>

He wouldn't have minded if Xion came by, but she disappeared with Riku, Kairi, and his brother. He wondered for a moment if they stuck together, but Sora and Kairi didn't seem drunk enough— in other words, patient enough— to deal with Xion and Riku. The latter pair participated in the drinking contest that accounted for the collapse of the game. Needless to say, it wasn't long before the increased consumption of alcohol took effect.

Had he not been there, Xion would've followed Riku to watch him pee.

Roxas found it funny that alcohol had a way of stealing one's bladder control. It seemed that once someone had to use the bathroom once, they were doomed to repeat the act every half hour or so. When he thought about it, Roxas kind of felt bad for the girls. Where did they take care of their business?

Before the disgust settled in, the sound of someone's approach reached his ears. The blond turned around, spotting a lone figure walking away from the upper level of the shack. Stepping into the moonlight, the person quickly formed into a recognizable face.

"Hey there," Naminé greeted with a bubbly smile. She approached Roxas at a slow but steady pace, stopping at the base of the palm.

"H-Hi," Roxas responded lamely. He realized he had no idea how to react to a tipsy Naminé.

"What's your deal? You've been acting all weird today."

"No I haven't," Roxas said defensively. If anything, she was the one acting weird.

"Listen…" Naminé began walking up the bent tree, balancing with each careful step forward. "If this has anything to do with the fact that you think I'm hot—"

Roxas's face reddened considerably. "I—"

"Just listen! If it has anything to do with that, get over it. Everyone, including me, already knows. Am I letting it affect me? Of course not."

"You're drunk. Of course you're not letting it affect you," Roxas said pointedly.

"I'm not drunk!" Naminé held her arms out, "I'm just buzzed. Maybe a little tipsy, but I'm not drunk. I'll prove it by saying the alphabet backwards. Do you want me to do that?"

"Please don't." Roxas frowned and hopped off the tree when Naminé kept walking. "You're going to fall."

"Not if you stay still."

Roxas didn't understand her words until she pressed her hand onto his head, using him to keep her balance. "You're definitely drunk."

"And you need to lighten up!" Naminé hopped off the tree, landing right in front of him. She poked him hard on the chest. "I have an excuse for acting weird. You, sober kid, have none."

"So you're aware of how strange you're acting?"

"Completely. But I'm okay with it. I don't care if you want to push me away or make fun of me or whatever. I'm feeling way too awesome to care."

Roxas found that he was able to grin. "You're serious, aren't you?"

"Damn straight."

"You're going to regret this come tomorrow morning."

Naminé giggled, walking to the base of the palm once again. "Not my problem— at least, not right now. My future self can deal with that on her own."

Roxas shook his head, laughing at Naminé's antics. It couldn't have been any clearer to him. She was drunk. Even if she didn't think so, she was drunk.

He watched her for a while, allowing her to use him as a safety net. Every time she reached the end, she would hop off and restart. The process repeated until he asked her a question.

"You remember our first meeting, don't you?" Roxas watched her closely.

"I do, Andy Dexter." Naminé giggled. "You were so mean back then. As mean as you are now."

"You were mean too." Roxas crossed his arms indignantly.

Naminé stared at him for a while until he grew uncomfortable. "I guess I was jealous that you could use both hands to color," She finally said. "Drawing and coloring was a big deal to me. I wanted to be the best. Then you show up with your ability to color with both hands."

"You were still better than me."

"But you were able to do something I couldn't when it came to coloring." Naminé bent down, falling into a sitting position on the trunk. "And then you hit my arm after I told you that you were using the wrong hand. That ruined my drawing."

"I know," Roxas said quietly. An uncomfortable gap of silence prodded its way into their conversation. "It was the only time I ever made you cry, you know. At least, the only time I made you cry over something I did to you."

"I know." Naminé smiled solemnly. "It was also the first and last time you ever messed with my art work."

"You noticed."

Naminé nodded. "If it matters anymore, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to hurt your feelings. I actually think it's really cool to be ambidextrous."

Roxas smiled. "And I'm sorry for ruining your drawing, not that I expect it will change anything."

"Apology accepted," Naminé said with a giggle. "And no, it won't change a thing between us."

Roxas frowned. "I'll take it."

"It doesn't have to," Naminé clarified. "We've gotten by for years the way we did. If I wasn't so buzzed, I highly doubt we'd be having this conversation right now."

"You mean if you weren't so drunk?"

"I am not drunk! I just balanced on a tree! That's proof right there!"

"Yes, because a totally sober Naminé just starts to walk up trees like it's no one's business."

Naminé pursed her lips and narrowed her eyes. "Hmm. Point taken."

"So you admit that you're drunk?" Roxas smirked.

"Nope!" Naminé shook her head vigorously. "I'm not!"

"Then why don't we place a bet?" Roxas asked. "Loser cooks breakfast for the winner tomorrow morning."

"Sounds like you're really trying hard to get me to cook for you."

"Don't flatter yourself," Roxas said with a grin. "I just find it funny that you're here, but there's no kitchen in sight."

"That is getting so old!" Naminé groaned, fueling Roxas's laughter. "Whatever. I accept the terms as long as you admit something."

"What might that be?"

"Admit that this is fun." Naminé motioned with her finger, alternating between pointing at herself and Roxas. "Admit it. You find it fun when we fight like this. Not when we're _really_ tearing each other apart, but when we're teasing."

Though taken aback, Roxas only needed a moment to come to terms with what Naminé was saying. And what Naminé was saying wasn't entirely wrong. Behind all the denial, he did enjoy his conversations with Naminé, however strange and confrontational they were. "Fine. I admit it. I think talking with you is kinda fun. Happy?"

Instead of an answer, Naminé jogged away. "Eww! What, do you like me or something?"

"W-What? Where did you get that?" Roxas quickly reverted to the defensive.

"You find me attractive, and now you just admitted you liked talking to me!"

"Well I take everything back! Talking with you is the worst!"

"Nope! There's no takesies backsies!"

"_Takesies backsies?"_ Roxas repeated incredulously. It was only then that he realized Naminé was making fun of him. It disturbed him greatly that she was willing to use his opinion of her physical attractiveness against him. _Great_.

"I accept the bet!" Naminé declared as she walked away. "I'm warning my future self to keep an eye out on you too."

The sober of the two rolled his eyes. "Yeah, you do that."

"Oh, and another secret!" Naminé ran back to the palm where Roxas was standing.

Just when he thought she was going to stop, she kept going and crashed into him.

Roxas stood rigidly still as Naminé hugged him.

"W-What are you—" Before the question completed, she parted from him.

Holding a finger to her smile, Naminé whispered, "Don't tell my future sober self I said this, but she thinks you're kinda cute."

The only action available to Roxas at the moment was to gape in complete shock. Naminé, on the other hand, ran off giggling.

"Be prepared to make breakfast tomorrow!" She sang as she left.

Roxas released a breath he didn't know he was holding when Naminé left his line of sight. Only after a few gasps of air did he realize his heart pounding wildly in his chest.

If Naminé proved to be drunk, he'd be the winner. He wouldn't be the one cooking in the morning in that case. There was no way Naminé was fully aware of her actions, was there?

But as he thought about the most recent event, Roxas couldn't help but hope that he'd be the loser tomorrow. The implication that she was more sober than drunk when she said that made Roxas feel very funny.

And as foreign as it was, he had to admit that he liked it.

* * *

><p><strong>Redeeming Endeavor:<strong>

Chapter Data: Word Count- 10,682. Total Editing Time- 826 minutes.

Harmless Author Fact #15: I played the clarinet for eight years, four of which were throughout high school. I wasn't that great, but I admit that I was a band kid in high school. Those band trips for competitions were the most fun I've had in high school anyway.

Thanks to everyone who recently added this story to either the alerts or favorites list! I'm always delighted to see so many people finding this story.

Huge thanks to the reviewers (I believe there were around 49 of you!) for giving me some input! **zestycrouton, Emorii, elspoek1, overreactiveteenagemindsxo, Brown Eyed Sage, RoxasLuvsCookies, Burai Stelar, Tenshi Yami- Angel of Darkness, Shan, BruHaeven, Aaralynne, li'miss sunshine, TwinToshiro, Morgead'sgirl, Fyrrian, abidethestance, Milly22, Allied Forces, Gear001, KurukiXV, Ash09, Revenge of the Red Pen, Stonekipsta, TheWitchNamine, Spellbound a.k.a soragirl4ever, SavoringHappiness, Zoe the Hunter, mimee67, Gumi Harue, Roxa-XIII, Hegodart, Ayperi, EnterAbyss2991, Muledragon, Max927, KittiesOnTheDarkSide, Lupus7, Halolink109, loveit, Haleybird, eion sairy, Verethragnan, Happy Reader, Draco Oblivion, A fan, IvoryBelles, Happy B-day, Owned 4123, **and** The Demon of the ink**, this one's for you!

Take care, and see you around!


	16. Momentum

Chapter 16: Momentum

Naminé woke with a slow, agonizing groan. Her head throbbed in pain, and the poor blonde realized she was reliving one of the more unpleasant morning experiences.

She had a hangover.

Though it only happened once before, Naminé knew she was right. As far as she remembered, she didn't take a blow to the head at any point last night. No, this was self-inflicted.

She drank too much.

Naminé slowly opened her eyes, a deliberate action to keep the light from stabbing into her eyes. Thankfully, the nylon of their red tent lessened the intensity, replacing the sun's glare with a red glow. Blinking once more, the blonde slowly took in her surroundings.

She groaned again.

Beside her, Kairi was sound asleep. Naminé's twin had her back pressed against the back of the tent's other inhabitant, Sora. The boy was curled in the fetal position, condensing his sleeping bag into a scrunched up ball.

A memory surfaced in Naminé's pounding head. Last night, she strongly insisted that Sora stay in their tent for the night to make sure nothing bad happens to Kairi. She vaguely remembered making obscene jokes about doing lewd things while she was sleeping.

As soon as she pulled the tent cover aside, burning rays of light temporarily blinded her. Naminé couldn't help but cry out in pain: the light did her headache no favors. After waiting a few moments, she managed to crawl out of shelter, eyes tightly squeezed shut. Squinting just enough to see, she worked her way around the tent and stopped when she made it to the shade.

Naminé sat there for a moment, clutching her head as her eyes adjusted to the light. How did she let it get so bad? She didn't intend to drink that much, but apparently she lost control at one point.

"You look like you could use a few of these."

Naminé barely caught the sight of Xion holding out a few pills and a bottle of water before her. She reached out. "Thanks." Her voice came out hoarse and dried, so she gulped down a good amount of water along with the painkillers.

"Someone had a lot of fun last night," Xion teased. The brunette sat beside Naminé and brought her knees to her chest. "How's your head?"

"Pretty painful," Naminé groaned in a voice that sounded more like her own. She graciously accepted the sunglasses Xion offered her. "Thanks again."

"Don't mention it. I can't imagine how you must feel right now. I never seem to get hangovers." Xion shrugged at her dumb luck.

"You're not missing out on anything. Trust me." Naminé took a careful look around the beach, finally adjusted to the light. "Xion, what time is it?"

"Around ten in the morning," Xion informed. "Riku woke up around six to do his morning workouts. Being the light sleeper that I am, I woke up at six too."

Naminé's head was clear enough to pick up on the fact that Xion slept close enough to Riku that he woke up. Though she was tempted to ask just how close they slept, she refrained and settled with a more tamed question. "Where did you end up sleeping?"

"On Riku's boat with him," Xion answered without missing a beat. She apparently found nothing scandalous about the situation.

"What have you been doing all this time?" Naminé questioned.

"We've been cleaning up a little." Xion pointed to the campsite.

Naminé was surprised she didn't notice how bare it appeared. Any evidence of the party from the previous night all but disappeared. There was no sign of black trash bags, broken bottles, or plastic scraps. Not a single stray red cup littered the beach, and every empty pizza box was extracted from the area. The only sign of such a party was a scatter of upright tents and a few bags tucked neatly under the picnic table.

"I can't believe I didn't see that earlier," Naminé said in awe. Riku and Xion sure found a productive way to fill those four hours. "Did anyone else wake up?"

"Ven and Aqua already left, actually. They helped us a bit by taking the overflow trash bags back to the mainland. They also helped us load Riku's car with the leftover alcohol, which surprisingly was a sparse amount." Xion nudged Naminé with her shoulder, a mirthful gleam in her eyes. "Guess I should thank you for lightening the load in a way."

"I hate to admit, but I don't think I'll be doing the same favor anytime soon."

Xion let out a high-pitched laugh, rocking back and forth as she shook her head. "I don't blame you. Are you feeling at least a bit better though?"

Naminé realized that she was able to function just fine when she wasn't focused on the fact that she had a hangover. Unfortunately, the question only brought her attention to her plight. "As long as I'm distracted, I think I'm fine."

"The painkillers will start doing their job as the day goes on. To get it off your mind, why don't we go wake up Roxas?" Xion suggested.

A slew of memories swamped Naminé in a matter of seconds, all of them containing one unique element: _horrifically embarrassing. _

If given the choice, Naminé wished her brain chose to forget such events rather than settling with a hangover. In the span of a single night, Naminé made a fool of herself in front of Roxas, hugged him, drunkenly made a bet with him, and told him she thought he was cute.

"Oh no…" Naminé groaned.

"What? Something wrong?" Xion leaned closer, clearly concerned.

In Naminé's opinion, a lot of things went wrong. Why did she even go near Roxas while under the influence of alcohol? Didn't she start drinking because she wanted to avoid any talk of their childhood?

Naminé inwardly slapped herself. She remembered doing that too.

Not even the best lawyer or PR assistant could remedy the situation. It was way beyond the point of damage control. What the hell was she thinking?

Now he knew that she recently found him to be cute.

Great. Just great.

"I don't think that's a good idea. Maybe I should stay right here," Naminé quipped. Right here and away from Roxas_._

"Nonsense! You should get that blood flowing." Xion hopped up and held her hands out for Naminé. "I'll help you up. Come on!"

"You know what? I'm going to be really honest here and say that I don't think I should face him right now." Naminé attempted to wave off the help, but Xion took her outward hands as a sign that she accepted the offer.

"Is this because you hugged him last night?"

Naminé froze. How did Xion know that? "Did I?" She shot the question back. Maybe Xion was trying to trap her into admitting something.

"Yeah. You also hugged me, your sister, Riku, Sora, Selphie, Olette…" Xion listed the names on each finger as she went along. "You turned into a hugging machine last night. And I may have been drunk last night, but I know you hugged Roxas a few times too."

"Ugh, great," Naminé muttered under her breath.

"Strangely enough, Roxas wouldn't let you hug Axel."

Naminé pursed her lips as ion dragged her toward a tent. "Why is that? Was Axel drunk?"

"More like Axel was too sober," Xion answered. Roxas's best friend quietly unzipped the tent cover, holding back a snicker as she did so. "Oh these boys and their bromance…"

"What is it?" Naminé craned her neck over Xion's shoulder, hoping to catch a glimpse of the view. Sleeping before them were Axel and Roxas. Though they were in separate sleeping bags, the blond somehow managed to wrap his arms around his older friend. Axel, either unaware or uncaring of the fact that he was being held so tightly, slept with a peaceful smile and a light snore.

"Now you got some dirt on Roxas. The guy will latch on to anything in his sleep." Xion poked Axel's leg with her foot, hissing in the most annoying manner possible. "Axel! Wake up!"

"Huh?" The redhead woke, slightly startled by the two girls standing at the door of his tent. "What do you want?"

"You need to wake up. Larxene's been blowing up your phone for the past two hours," Xion explained.

Axel unwound Roxas's arms from his body in what Naminé saw as a routine manner. How many times had that happened before to make him so nonchalant?

"Oh no. What time is it? It's not ten, is it?" Axel wiped at his eyes and asked with a loud yawn.

"Past ten, actually."

Naminé felt as if Axel was standing and walking toward his bag and cell phone in the blink of an eye. After giving Naminé the order of waking up Roxas, Xion chased after Axel and fired a barrage of questions.

With a daunting task suddenly thrust into her responsibility, Naminé did what anyone else would do in her situation: she stared at Roxas and hoped he would wake up on his own. Unfortunately, the only thing Roxas did was grab the vacant sleeping bag next to him and attempt to cuddle with it.

Naminé slapped her forehead. She was all for making fun of the sleeping blond, but watching him do such an unmanly thing made her cringe. She was embarrassed _for_ him.

Wondering if Xion actually expected her to wake Roxas, Naminé turned around and spotted Xion talking with Axel. Just as she began to groan, an idea struck her. She called Xion's name as loudly as she could. All but one of the possible outcomes were in her favor. In the best situation, Xion would come over and Roxas would wake up without direct confrontation.

Again, Naminé drew the short straw. Not only did a surge of pain rush through her head as she yelled, but her voice was far too soft to grab Xion's attention or wake Roxas up.

Defeated, Naminé lightly nudged at Roxas's sleeping form with her foot. "Er, Roxas…" Naminé awkwardly poked the sleeping boy again. When that didn't work, the hungover teen continued to nudge harder with her foot until she found herself annoyed. Before she realized how angry she was, Naminé ended up kicking Roxas as hard as she could.

Roxas stirred, shifting the empty sleeping bag while slipping farther into his own.

Naminé bit her lip, taking a few deep breaths to calm herself. Of course he was a deep sleeper. Who else could be so annoying while unconscious? Naminé found it rather amazing that he managed to tick her off in such a way. She stared at him, noting how funny he looked with only his head exposed.

While he was annoyingly hard to wake up, he was at least cute while he slept.

"Still haven't gotten him up yet?"

Naminé coughed and crossed her arms as Xion approached the tent. "I kicked him as hard as I could and I think it made him sleepier."

Xion found her friend's predicament to be hilarious. "Yeah, he's a tough one. I sorta assumed he would wake up for you."

Naminé blushed a bit. "Why's that?"

"He says your voice is annoying."

Naminé rolled her eyes. So much for that. "Of course he did."

"Don't take it the wrong way. Annoying voices are one of the most effective ways of waking him up. His alarm, for example, is a recording of me repeatedly calling his name and telling him to wake up. If anything, the fact that you weren't able to wake him means he's been lying all this time," Xion deduced. "That, or you just didn't kick him hard enough." Without a word of warning, Xion leapt onto Roxas.

Naminé gasped from the sudden action.

"It's morning time, Roxas! Wakey, wakey!" Xion continuously knocked on Roxas's forehead with her knuckles until he groaned and attempted to shake her off.

"Go away…" he groaned.

Xion turned to Naminé with a pleading glance that asked for assistance.

Naminé, however, interpreted the look as "Would you kindly leap on top of Roxas with me?"

Hence, her only reply was a short "No thank you."

"Roxas, you have work today." Xion ruffled his messy hair, hoping he would buy her lie.

A tired voice retorted behind the muffle of covers. "No I don't. I had work yesterday."

"Well you better help your brother out. He's getting attacked by a rabid group of kittens."

"Good. He deserves it."

"He just kicked one."

Roxas sat up, inhaling deeply as he sleepily scouted his tent. Seeing nothing of concern, he slowly lowered himself back into sleeping position. Xion was faster though. Before Roxas's head hit the pillow of his sleeping bag, she pulled it out of the way.

"Oh no you don't, mister! You're getting up now." Xion ripped the empty sleeping bag from her best friend's arms and threw it to the side.

Naminé, relegated to the role of observer, found the ensuing exchange interesting. She couldn't help but note the close proximity, the way the two went back and forth in their argument, and how both managed to smile despite the conflict of interests. Naminé felt as if she was the last person to hear about a great discovery. Why had it not occurred to her? She knew the two were best friends, so why did the closeness surprise her?

Moreover, why did it bother her?

She watched them banter like a spectator at the games. Xion had a strange effect on Roxas. When Naminé was around him, he wasn't so carefree or easy to smile. He was sharper, always on high alert and on edge. Xion seemed to dissolve all of it and turn Roxas into a nicer, more approachable guy. He didn't fight back the way he would against Naminé, but deflected Xion's smacks with laughs and feigned pain.

Naminé felt her lips curl into a frown when Roxas attempted to throw the blanket of his sleeping bag over Xion. She then fell on top of him when she tried to block him.

"That's enough!" Xion shouted between giggles. "You're officially awake, so you better be out of this tent in five minutes!"

"You can't make me do _anything_," Roxas sneered in a manner similar to a pouting child.

"I can make you do whatever I want." Xion hoisted herself up and backed away. "Besides, all your stuff is outside. If you don't come out, I'm sending everyone in your phonebook a dirty message."

"You wouldn't dare!"

"Try me," Xion said cockily. She turned to Naminé. "Can you make sure he cleans up before leaving? Thanks!" Without waiting for a real answer, Xion quickly removed herself from the tent.

Naminé stared after the girl, her protest caught in her throat. She turned to Roxas, half-expecting him to do something. Instead, he remained seated and stared at her. A rush of insecurity filled her when Roxas smirked.

"What?" Naminé asked with a rasp. She cleared her throat immediately.

"Nice shades," Roxas complimented.

Naminé's hands flew to her face. She had forgotten that she was wearing them. "Xion lent them to me."

"I know," Roxas quipped as he got out of his sleeping bag. "I bought them for her."

The piece of knowledge annoyed her. "I'd take them off if it wasn't so bright out."

"Why? They look good on you." Roxas was smirking again, stretching his limbs in the confined space of the tent. "Plus, you obviously need them. Something tells me you didn't wake up painlessly this morning."

The condescending tone didn't fail to affect her. "Well I guess you're just better than me, huh?"

"Well we both know that already. That can't possibly be the reason why you're being so snappy though."

Naminé rolled her eyes behind the tinted lens of her glasses. "Maybe you're just cranky."

"Well is there a reason why you've been staring me down this entire time? It seems completely unjustified," Roxas stated as he folded his sleeping bag.

Naminé's brow twitched. She didn't quite understand it either, but she was irrationally angry at Roxas. He did annoy her by ignoring her wake up calls, but his mentioning of her outward display made her realize how mad she actually was.

Maybe it was just his presence.

"This looks like something you can handle by yourself." Naminé intentionally ignored Roxas's question and crossed her arms.

"You're not going to help me?"

"Do you need it?" Naminé questioned. She took his silence as an ample answer. "Exactly. Now if you'll excuse me…"

The blonde tossed the tent cover aside and walked off. A few steps later, she stopped and took off the sunglasses she was wearing. The sudden increase of light sent a dull ache through her head, but it wasn't unbearable. Spotting Xion disassembling a tent, Naminé walked over to return the glasses to its rightful owner.

"You don't need them anymore?"

"Nope!" Naminé said as cheerily as she could. She strained to smile. "Thanks for lending them though. I think the painkillers kicked in."

It was an obvious lie, but ever since finding out that Roxas bought them for Xion— or rather that Roxas bought them— Naminé decided she could survive without them.

Xion reluctantly accepted her sunglasses. "If you say so."

* * *

><p>After the flurry of the morning, Naminé somehow found herself in the passenger's seat of a car, driven by none other than Roxas himself. And it was just the two of them. Once again, Naminé realized a great deal too late that Kairi had tricked her under the excuse of "I want some private time with Sora." Maybe her twin really did want a romantic morning row back to the mainland with her boyfriend, but Naminé knew she was definitely manipulated by the idea of cleanliness and a warm shower.<p>

"We need to talk."

The blonde groaned. Leave it to him to ask the one question that she dreaded the most.

"Can we just ignore everything that happened last night?" Naminé pleaded, leaning her head against the window. "We both said some really stupid things and it was an all-around weird time for both of us."

"I wanted to discuss your next driving lesson," Roxas stated slowly, "but we should probably talk about that too."

"Your timing is impeccable," she snapped. Guilt settled within her as silence filled the car. She didn't mean to sound so mean, but she also wasn't in the mood to talk.

"I'm sorry if anything I said last night made you upset," Roxas murmured. "I didn't mean to remind you of the past, nor did I intend to put you on the spot during that stupid drinking game."

Naminé chose to remain quiet. She remembered enough of last night to know that he apologized for something he did as a four-year-old, and he let it slip that he'd rather wake up in a tent with Xion if only to guarantee nothing wild or sexual happened between them. The thought made her squirm in her seat. The events of the previous night only restated a fact that she tried her hardest to ignore.

Behind all the sarcastic remarks, cold glares, and patronizing comments, Roxas thought she was attractive.

The conclusion was sound. He didn't _deny_ that she was physically attractive at lunch with his friends, and he implied that without inhibitions, waking up in a tent next to her meant a wild and crazy night.

"Do you find me attractive?" She asked suddenly.

He wasn't expecting the question at all. His back straightened before his face reddened. "W-Where did that come from?"

"You said you wanted to talk, so let's talk." If he was going to make her uncomfortable by forcing conversation, she might as well return the favor.

He refused to answer for at least two traffic lights. Then, as if it was almost painful to admit, he spoke. "So what if I do?"

Taken aback, Naminé found she didn't have an answer herself. She voiced the first thought that came to mind. "W-Well then that changes things."

"What does it change?"

Again, Naminé was cornered. She was about to ignore the question, but the blush on Roxas's face showed he was just as uncomfortable. The battle wasn't as one-sided as she thought. Employing the tactic used against her, Naminé answered with a question. "What about me do you find so attractive?"

Roxas stared forward, but his face betrayed his true composure. "What does it change?"

"Is it my face?"

"What does it change?"

"Is it my hair?"

"Again, what does it change?"

"My legs?"

"I don't know! What do you want me to say, Naminé? I think you're super hot! Does that answer your freaking question?" Roxas practically shouted the confession. He held Naminé's gaze for only a second before staring at the red light ahead of him, his face a similar color. He sighed heavily. "So I ask again, what does that change?"

Naminé felt her face grow warm as she stared at her lap. She never expected to get an actual answer from the argument, but rather an end to the conversation by changing the topic to something he didn't feel comfortable discussing. And the confession would have been a lot more flattering had it not been screamed in her face. "If you thought of me like… like _that,_" Naminé fumbled with her words, "then I would expect you to be a bit nicer to me."

"I hate to break it to you, but you don't seem to react well to that." Roxas frowned and stepped on the gas pedal with too much force. The car lurched forward. "Sorry."

Naminé knew the apology concerned the whiplash-inducing acceleration. "You weren't always trying to be nice to me."

To her surprise, Roxas's blush didn't disappear. "I'm not being nice to you now because you're _attractive_," he rushed his words in defense, "I'm being nice because… I'm a nice person."

Naminé couldn't help but laugh. "Are you serious?" She expected him to snap back with a witty reply, but instead received a glance and a nod. Was he for real? He genuinely wanted to be nice to her? "Don't you remember the last time you tried being nice? That was hellish and uncomfortable. I had no idea who you were."

"Would you rather I be mean to you?" The driver lowered the air conditioning, making the car a lot quieter. "I'd rather not. I'm not an asshole like you think, but if that's what it takes for you to be okay with me, then I'll do it. I honestly really doubt I can only be nice to you, but I'm trying. What I don't doubt though is that we're more than capable of having a conversation without fighting."

It was happening again, Naminé realized. Everything she thought she knew about Roxas was disappearing, replaced by some foreign boy she couldn't comprehend. "Why?" She asked aloud. "Why are you trying to mess up something that works for us?"

"Because I think we can be friends," he replied.

Naminé's heart skipped a beat. The silence that followed was agonizing for both of them.

"I never would have thought that we'd reach a point where we could actually hold a full conversation without someone walking away pissed, but we did." Roxas spoke quietly as he neared Naminé's house. "We don't have to be nice to each other all the time, but we also don't have to fight. Over the past couple days, I've even been able to laugh _with_ you. I'm having a lot more fun doing that than when I'm fighting with you."

The car pulled into the driveway, but the passengers remained still. Naminé pressed her fingers to her temples. He was serious. He was actually making an offer— a truce. She acknowledged he was right though: she had fun with him when they were laughing, but she also remembered that they reached those points by some form of argument. Naminé refused to believe that they could turn everything around at once. She tried being nice to him, and he to her. It was a miserable experience.

Yet, he had a point. This summer was an anomaly of their interaction. "F-fine." Naminé crossed her arms and stared out her window. "I'll try not to take everything you say as offensive."

"I tell you you're hot and you think that's offensive, so should I just not talk at all?"

It was Naminé's turn to get flustered. "Just don't do anything weird! I can't even look at you when you say stupid stuff like that."

"That's the reason you can't look at me?" Roxas turned off the car. "Are you sure it doesn't have anything to do with the fact that you find me cute?"

Naminé froze. Could she play the ignorance card? "What are you talking about?"

"You told me last night that you think I'm cute. You specifically noted that you think this while sober."

"I lied."

"You might want to talk to someone about your identity issues, then. Apparently your drunken self and sober self are at a disagreement."

"Well I'm never getting drunk again, so you can get that stupid notion out of your head." Naminé unlocked her door and pushed it open with excessive force. "Now if you'll excuse me—"

"Wait." Roxas reached over and lightly grabbed Naminé's wrist to keep her in her seat. "Thanks. I was honestly expecting you to fight me more on all this. Guess we really can get along without fighting."

Naminé glanced at his non-cute face and regretted it. He was being weird again! "W-Whatever." She got out of the car, but spoke to him before she closed the door. "I'm going to shower. You can use the master bath if you want."

Avoiding what would have been a non-cute smile on his face, Naminé made her way inside as quickly as possible, matching the pace of her racing heart.

* * *

><p>As Sora stared at the back wall of Kairi's shower, a single thought ran through his mind.<p>

_What the hell am I doing here?_

"You okay? I'm almost done."

He jumped from the unexpected question. "Y-Yeah, I'm fine."

In truth, Sora was far from fine. Most guys probably thought that showering with a girlfriend was a dream come true.

Not Sora.

He was undoubtedly trapped in a living nightmare, and he had no one but himself to blame. For some odd reason— or for perhaps no good reason at all, as logic seemed to escape him anytime Kairi asked him a question— Sora had accepted Kairi's offer to shower with her.

Their romantic little row got rained on; by the time they arrived, he was dripping everywhere and the house was freezing. Roxas and Naminé occupied the other two showers too. Hot shower as soon as possible? Great idea.

It was all fine and great when both of them were clothed in their bathing suits. They stood under the water, laughing as warm relief washed over them. But things got a little too hot when Kairi started pulling at the string of her bikini.

Being the gentleman he was, Sora turned himself around and started counting the wall tiles. Kairi had laughed at him, but he insisted that turning around was the right thing to do.

Despite his actions, Sora was also a teenage boy. His head was spinning, his swimming trunks were painfully tight, and his hormones were _raging_.

It was strange, really. Before they were dating, Sora never felt tempted to have a physical relationship with Kairi. It wasn't that he didn't find her attractive— he always thought she was the prettiest girl in the world— but actual contact didn't have to go beyond friendly touches. That all changed last night: once Sora had a taste of Kairi, he couldn't get enough. One kiss led to hours of making out on the floor of their secret place.

The desire to recreate that moment plagued Sora's mind. Adding to the problem was his awareness of certain advantages he possessed. Sora knew the rumors— or at least he saw them as rumors— of his kissing technique. If he was as good as they implied, then nothing was really stopping him from turning around and capturing Kairi's lips. It would be a downhill walk from there, given that Kairi enjoyed the physical side of their relationship as much as he did. All he had to do was intoxicate her with a few kisses.

Sora shook his head. Bad thought.

_If you're not going to touch, at least get a look._

Sora swore inwardly. He couldn't do that either. He couldn't betray Kairi's trust like that.

But wait! He didn't have to turn around. He turned around because it would be infinitely harder to control himself with Kairi in his field of vision. What he was doing was chivalrous, and it not only benefited him, but Kairi as well.

But it was also voluntary. Kairi apparently would have been fine either way. If she started undressing in front of him, then she probably wouldn't have cared if he saw her.

Right?

He could peek. All he had to do was take a quick glance over his shoulder. A glance would be harmless. If Kairi failed to notice him, then it didn't really have any consequences. And it wasn't like he was disallowed. Kairi was not only his girlfriend, but she was okay with it too. What harm could one little look bring?

Sora swallowed hard, forming fists in both of his hands. One quick look. He'd allow himself one fast glance.

He turned his shoulders just enough to see what was behind him…

… and immediately regretted it.

_Holycrapholycrapholycrap!_

Sora crossed his arms and attempted to shove one of his fists into his mouth. That was a terrible idea. Awful. It was a painful mistake. Whatever rationalization he used to convince himself that sneaking a peek was a good idea, Sora wanted none of it anymore.

The image of Kairi's bare back— her whole back, backside included— was burned into Sora's memory. The sheer sight of her there only made Sora realize the gravity of his situation. That one small glance, the supposedly harmless look, sent his heart into a pounding frenzy.

He just saw some of Kairi naked.

He just saw some of his girlfriend, Kairi, naked.

Kairi was naked, and he just saw some of her.

"Here you go!"

Sora yelped in surprise when he felt Kairi's hands running through his hair. His body went rigid. At that moment, two things were happening. The first was that Kairi was torturing him by massaging his scalp. The second was that Kairi was naked… and now facing him.

"I think it actually takes more shampoo to wash your hair than mine. Can you believe that?"

Sora attempted to laugh, though he was sure he sounded more like a dying horse.

He soon began to relax as Kairi shampooed his hair. His eyes closed as he surrendered to the pleasure. The short massage of his scalp made him forget where he was for a moment.

"Thanks for turning around." The sound of Kairi's voice brought him back into reality.

"H-Huh?" Did she catch him peeking?

"At first I thought you turned around because you didn't find me attractive—"

Sora couldn't believe what he was hearing and immediately cut in. "Kairi, that is so far from the truth I don't even know where to begin—"

Kairi momentarily stopped her hand movements. "I know. But this is pretty bad for you, isn't it?"

Sora gulped. "I said I was fine. All I had to do was wait for you to finish."

"You don't have to lie." Kairi giggled. "I know you, Sora. I can literally feel it when you're on edge or uncomfortable. I've known you too long to not know when you're upset."

Sora visibly deflated. "I don't trust myself around you," he confessed. "This whole time I've been thinking what it'd be like if I just turned around and kissed you."

"I'd… be okay with that," his girlfriend admitted.

"But then what happens from there?" Sora's hair stood on end at the thought. "I can't help myself at that point, and I don't want to do anything that makes you feel pressured."

"Then why don't you trust me if you don't trust yourself?" Kairi questioned. It was something Sora hadn't considered.

"That's putting all the pressure on you though. It's not fair."

"I can handle it. If you're so worried about making me do something I don't want to do yet, then why not let me decide how far we go?"

"You say that now, but it's different when we're kissing!" Sora felt himself being pulled under the stream of the shower. He continued as Kairi rinsed his hair. "I don't want us doing anything we'll regret, and I hate that I can't control myself after everything… starts."

"I think you're underestimating yourself," Kairi remarked as she ran her hands down Sora's back. She giggled when he twitched. "We didn't go too far last night. Are you saying you had nothing to do with that?"

Sora scrunched his nose. "Well we were only wearing bathing suits…"

"I didn't see you make any attempts to take anything off." Kairi removed her hands from Sora's body, providing an instant wave of relief. "You chose to turn around too. Now that I think about it, I don't know how I'd react if you saw me like this. I thought I'd be okay, but maybe it'd be a little embarrassing."

"I'm doing this because I _know_ how _I'd_ react if I didn't," Sora asserted. "You wouldn't have time to be embarrassed."

Before he could say anything more, Kairi placed a few kisses along his neck, making him to shiver under the hot water. "I'm really glad that you're so concerned about me, but you're forgetting about a few things. You're forgetting that I might be okay with this, and you also forget that this is your relationship too." She released her hold on him and opened the shower curtain. "If you ask me, I think you should finish showering quickly. I always hated it when you made me wait."

Kairi closed the shower curtain, but Sora didn't move until he heard her leave the bathroom. He released the breath he held throughout the exchange and quickly turned around.

His girlfriend did nothing to help him calm his hormones down.

He arrived at a crossroad. He could take Kairi's advice and hurry up, or he could take the coldest shower in the world with hopes of calming them both down. The shower would have its effects and Kairi would have enough time to clear her head.

The first option looked better and better the more he thought about it.

As he made his decision, Sora struggled to take his swimming trunks off. He hung it on the back wall, grateful that they kept him in check. With a long and shaky sigh, Sora turned the shower knob as cold as it could go.

* * *

><p>The hot shower did wonders for Naminé. Not only did she feel like she cleaned off a layer of filth, but the warm water seemed to wash her headache away too.<p>

Since Roxas was somewhere in the house, Naminé brought everything she needed with her into the bathroom. Right after she stepped out of the shower, she dried herself off and put on a fresh set of clothes. The mirror had fogged up, so the blonde rubbed out a perfect circle just large enough to see her reflection. After lightly drying her hair with her towel, she went about combing out the knots.

It may have been weird, but Naminé liked her hair when it was wet. Not only was it straighter like Kairi's, but it fell evenly. When it dried, the hair along the right seemed to favor the front of her shoulder. Many thought she intentionally styled it that way, but it was really something she was forced to work with. IT was a silly thing to obsess over, but she thought it would have been nice to at least have control over her hair.

When Naminé stepped out of the bathroom, she did not expect the air to smell like blueberry pancakes. She ventured into the kitchen, allowing both her hunger and the alluring scent to guide her.

More surprising than the smell of breakfast was the person in the kitchen cooking it. Naminé's eyes widened when she saw Roxas standing at the stove, expertly tucking a spatula underneath a cooking pancake.

He was shirtless, Naminé noted. He dressed only in whitewashed jeans that rested more on his hips than his waist. His hair, messy as usual, appeared to be slightly damp, but still stood out all over the place. He seemed totally preoccupied with his cooking that Naminé was able to walk directly behind him without being noticed.

"For someone who makes so many jokes about the kitchen, you sure look comfortable in here," Naminé spoke abruptly, hoping to scare him.

To her disappointment, he was completely unfazed. "Breakfast doesn't cook itself, you know." He eyed her suspiciously before returning to his task. "Why do girls take so long in the shower?"

"That's none of your business." Spotting two plates of pancakes on the counter beside the stove, Naminé grabbed one and made off with it, stopping only to collect the appropriate silverware.

Roxas reacted immediately. "I don't remember saying you could take one."

"You mean to say you use two plates when you eat pancakes?"

"I have a short stack rule. I can't have more than three pancakes on a single plate."

Naminé rolled her eyes. "Just admit that you cooked these for me."

Roxas shook his head, chuckling to himself as he finished the final pancake and turned off the stove. "Not even a thank you… as I recall, you were supposed to be the one cooking for me." He walked over to the table and snatched the bottle of syrup out of Naminé's hands.

"I'll thank you after I decide whether or not these are good."

Roxas looked at her like she was crazy. "Are you suggesting that blueberry pancakes aren't good?"

"You made them," Naminé said dryly, "so there's a good chance you ruined them."

"If you don't want them, I'd be glad to have my second plate back." Roxas placed the bottle of syrup next to him after he finished. He laughed upon receiving Naminé's glare, but eventually returned it to her. He took a large single bite and smiled. "Delicious."

Naminé looked at him with disgust for talking with his mouth full. After adding a small amount of syrup, the blonde sliced a portion of her perfectly round pancake— Roxas managed that well, she'd give him that— and placed it in her mouth.

"Well?" asked Roxas expectantly, his lips pressed together in a suppressed smirk.

In reality, Naminé thought the pancakes were absolutely amazing. She was sure the mix was nothing special, but anything tasted good when one was hungry. Naminé realized that the pancake was the first thing she ate since waking up with a hangover. "They're okay," she noted nonchalantly. She wouldn't grant him the satisfaction.

Unfortunately, Roxas seemed to pick up on her true opinion. "I understand. You don't want to admit it." He laughed upon receiving her glare. "As I recall, you were the one who was supposed to cook for _me_."

"I never took you for someone to take advantage of girls not in their right state of mind. Perhaps I was wrong." Naminé pointed her fork at him accusingly.

"You were. Did you end up cooking in the end?" Roxas swallowed down a huge bite of his food. "No, instead you're eating pancakes made by me. They happen to be awesome too, but you're too proud to even thank me."

"Like I said, they're okay." Hoping to change the subject, Naminé looked around her house. She spotted Sora and Kairi's belongings sitting by the door. "When did they get in?"

"Sora and Kairi?" Roxas followed Naminé's gaze. "I don't know. By the time I was done showering, the one in Kairi's room was already going. They probably got home soon after we did."

Naminé raised a brow. "How? We left a long time before they did."

"Maybe they drove fast."

"Maybe you drove slow."

"Maybe the first thing they did was run into the shower."

"Then you admit to taking long showers too? I can't see why they'd arrive before you finished." Naminé smiled victoriously.

"You forget that I had to unload the car. I don't take long showers. You started at least ten minutes before me and stayed ten minutes longer," Roxas pointed out. "That means they arrived somewhere between ten and twenty minutes after us. I'm betting twenty since that shower is still going." The blond sliced his pancakes, eating another large portion. "This also means that your shower lasted about half an hour, if not more."

Naminé rolled her eyes. "I lost track of time in there. You would too if you were dealing with a headache."

"I made sure I wouldn't ever have to deal with that problem." Roxas smirked, noticing Naminé's disappointment when she discovered her plate was empty. "The pancakes were just _okay_, huh?"

"Like you said, I wouldn't expect you to understand this problem. The first meal tastes great."

"So you admit I'm a good cook?"

"I admit that even you are capable of making something edible in the wake of a hangover." Naminé crossed her arms. She watched Roxas cautiously when he got up from his seat. "What are you doing?"

He chuckled. "What does it look like? I'm giving you another pancake." He slid the untouched piece onto her plate and returned to her seat.

It was then that Naminé realized how many he had on his plate. "You had five pancakes this whole time? What happened to your short stack rule?"

"You thought I was serious?" Roxas laughed.

Naminé stared at him, fighting the smile that began to form on her face. Of course he made that up. He'd never admit that he prepared her a plate: that he actually cooked _for_ her. "You're an idiot."

He returned his attention to his food, starting his last pancake as well. "Guess that makes two of us." He paused for a moment. "You're welcome."

She knew it was his way of admitting what she had already gathered. "It's pretty good." Naminé answered.

Roxas understood it was her way of saying thank you.

* * *

><p>The shower didn't help at all. Kairi jumped him as soon as he left the bathroom.<p>

Sora figured he was okay with it. As long as both of them were comfortable, he'd go as far as he was allowed.

He smiled when he felt her arms wrap around his neck when he tried to pull away from a kiss. "Kairi," he said against her lips, "are you trying to kill me?"

"Maybe." Kairi's mind went blank. She arched her back, and Sora seized the opportunity to slip his hands behind her.

Unlike the previous night, Kairi succeeded in getting Sora to let loose. His kisses were fervent and more desperate than before, and his warm hands eagerly moved along her body.

His hands slipped under her shirt. "Sora!" Kairi squirmed away from his touch.

He stopped immediately, pulling away faster than he ever moved before. "I-I'm sorry!"

Realizing that she was about to lose him, Kairi quickly cupped his face. "Wait, it's okay! Relax. You just… it tickled," she admitted with a blush. Since Sora seemed reluctant to continue, the redhead sat up and peeled her shirt off. She eased Sora into another kiss, pulling him down with her.

"Kairi..."

"Kiss me," she whispered. Kairi began to succumb to the heat. Every kiss stole a piece of her sanity, and she found herself enjoying every moment of it.

* * *

><p>"Why is the kitchen so messy?"<p>

Roxas sighed. "If all you're going to do is complain, please leave." Roxas collected all the dirty dishes— perhaps he used more than he needed— and tossed them in the sink.

"I can't even begin to comprehend this. Is that pancake mix on the ceiling? Why didn't I notice this before?" Naminé left the kitchen and returned with a chair, using it to step onto the counter.

Roxas watched in amusement as she attempted to clean the ceiling with a rag. His eyes drifted downward, coming to an abrupt stop just below her hips.

Woops.

He turned away immediately. Looking up Naminé's dress was _not_ intentional.

It was kinda her fault for wearing such a short dress. He was a guy who found her attractive, so of course his eyes would wander.

Roxas almost slapped himself. That was no excuse.

"Do you always make such a mess when you cook?" asked the blonde as she climbed back down to the floor.

"Only when I cook for you," he replied with excessive sweetness. He started on the dishes while Naminé wiped the stovetop clean.

"I'm starting to think that more pancake mix ended up on the counters rather than the pan." Completing her cleaning task, Naminé walked over to the sink to wash her hands. She gawked as she watched Roxas "wash" the dishes. "Are you serious?"

He was completely oblivious. "What?"

"You really think you're doing that right?"

"What's wrong with it?"

Naminé pinched the bridge of her nose and inhaled deeply before pressing a hand to Roxas's chest. "Move."

"Ack! Cold!" He recoiled from the contact.

"Your fault." Naminé shrugged unapologetically. "Why aren't you wearing a shirt?"

"Why? Is it distracting?"

Naminé raised a brow and glanced at him. She returned her attention to the dishes. It was certainly distracting. "Your presence is distracting."

"It doesn't have anything to do with the fact that I'm cute, right?"

"I'm paranoid that you're incompetency will rub off on me."

"Incompetency? Right. I believe that."

Naminé breathed in deeply, putting the sponge down. She turned to Roxas with a knife in her hand and a strained smile on her face. "I'm considering the pros and cons of cutting your kidneys out right now."

"Just my kidneys though, right? You'd hate if my cute face got ruined, I'm sure."

"Well, well! You sure have a way of bringing out the best in my daughter, my boy."

The teens froze. The deep voice didn't belong to either of their friends.

They simultaneously turned around to find an older gentleman observing them at the kitchen's entrance. His perfectly fitted suit complemented his powerful appearance.

"Dad?" Naminé choked out. "Dad! You're here!"

"Astute observation, Naminé." He held his arms out wide and greeted his daughter with a tight hug and a kiss on her forehead. He acknowledged the other teen's presence with a nod. "Roxas."

"Mr. Ansem, sir," Roxas greeted nervously.

Roxas always thought Naminé's father was a very intimidating man. The tall doctor was one of the country's best medical researchers, widely regarded for his work in cardiology and heart disease. Not only was he influential, but he had the look to match it. On the verge of turning sixty, Ansem "the Wise" still retained his youthful blond hair— inherited by the daughter standing by his side— and had a well-kept beard to match. Such an appearance must have had something to do with why he was able to woo a woman almost half his age.

The one thing Roxas found most memorable, however, was the man's baritone voice. He told the best bed time stories when all of them were younger.

"No need for the formality," Ansem excused with a chuckle. "I must say that I'm surprised to see you though. Not your presence itself," he clarified, "but rather your proximity to Naminé. Last I heard you two weren't very fond of each other."

"We're working on… playing nice," Roxas finished lamely.

"I didn't know you were coming!" Naminé attempted to change the subject. "I didn't even hear you come in."

"I called your phone several times," Ansem explained. "But I see the reason why you weren't picking up. You were obviously… distracted." The corners of his old eyes wrinkled as he smiled.

The teens looked down in embarrassment. He probably heard _everything_.

"Since you're here, I'm inclined to believe that your brother is somewhere around as well. Perhaps he's with my other troublemaking daughter?" He looked at Roxas, then Naminé. "Could you two fetch them for me while I unload my car? I'd like to see them."

"O-Oh, I can help you if you—"

"I'm fine, my boy. Perhaps you should borrow a shirt from my closet. It should help my daughter concentrate on her task." Ansem laughed as he walked through the door.

"He heard everything," Roxas groaned. He expected Naminé to react similarly, but she wore a smirk on her face as she stared. "What?"

"Sir? Really, Roxas? _Really?_ Sir!" Naminé giggled as she walked toward Kairi's room.

Roxas ran after her. "Hey, what's so funny about that?"

Naminé straightened her back and dropped her voice an octave. "I don't know, _sir_. That was truly gold," she teased.

Roxas crossed his arms. "Your father is a very intimidating man—"

"Intimidating enough to change your whole demeanor, apparently."

"You're not going to stop, are you?"

"Are you kidding me? You're never living this down." Naminé giggled as she knocked on Kairi's door. "Kairi? Open up!" She knocked again when no one answered. "Kairi! Open the door!"

"What?" The door flew open, revealing a redhead clad in only her underwear.

Three mouths dropped open at once.

The door slammed shut. "What the hell, Nam? Why didn't you tell me Roxas was there?"

"Why aren't you wearing _clothes?"_ Naminé shot back.

"I'm going to go find a shirt…" Roxas casually removed himself from the scene to hide his rosy cheeks.

"Sorry, Roxas!" Kairi apologized from behind the door. "What do you want, Nam?"

"Where are your clothes, Kairi?" Naminé shook her head. "Wait, please don't answer that. I don't want to know."

"Did you seriously come here to waste my time?"

"Don't you get mad at me! I'm sure you'd rather it be me at the door instead of Dad!"

"What?" Kairi slowly cracked the door just enough to reveal her face.

"Yeah, you heard me. Dad's here. Surprise!" Naminé attempted to look past her sister. "Is Sora in there? If he looks anything like you, then he better get dressed too. I don't want to even think about what you guys have been doing this whole time."

Kairi retreated back into her room and cursed. "He called me five times. How did I not hear that?" She closed the door.

After a quick shuffle, Sora and Kairi emerged fully dressed from the room. Sora sheepishly waved at Naminé. "Hey!"

"Hi," Naminé deadpanned. "My dad wanted to see you guys. He surprised us too," Naminé added as Sora's eyes widened.

"Naminé, have you found your sister yet?" Ansem called from the living room.

"Dad!" Kairi ran into the living room with Sora in tow. Naminé slapped her forehead. She saved two lives before dinner and didn't even get a word of gratitude.

"I don't know what was more surprising…" Roxas admitted as he returned from the master bedroom wearing a white polo shirt, "seeing your father make a sudden appearance, or seeing your sister in her underwear."

"You should erase that from your memory for your brother's sake. And Kairi's too."

"Believe me, I'm trying."

The blonde stared at him with an indecipherable expression. Before he could ask, she spoke. "Come on, _sir._ We better join them."

Roxas shook his head. She was going to milk this one for a while. "Just go already."

* * *

><p><strong>Redeeming Endeavor<strong>:

Huge thanks to everyone who subscribed and/or added this story to their favorites! Also, huge thanks to the reviewing crew who always leave such kind words! This includes **Vallania, Lil Leif, ThatGuyFromThatPlace21, Burai Stelar, spadejackspade, dreamingleaf7, abidethestance, typewrite, KurukiXV, Tenshi Yami-Angel of Darkness, RoxasLuvsCookies, Zoe the Hunter, TwinToshiro, AWEZOME, Muledragon, Gear001, Shan, elspoek1, Brown Eyed Sage, Gumi Harue, Dramamamapwnsall, Draco Oblivion, Spellbound a.k.a soragirl4ever, chibixbabe, Ash09, Allied Forces, Owned4123, GD, Everybody's Starry Eyed, Revenge of the Red Pen, Random Jelly-O, Roxa-XIII, Pink Star Art, sasusakufan2357, Lulu, Sw1ft Blad3** (my condolences to your family),** AgentyKacheeky, CheshireBlue101, xoKyorii, Rescued-Doll, Topaz Tsubasa,** and** xglitter-gloss**! I know I didn't get to reply to all of you, but I'm really grateful for all the feedback!

Chapter Data- Word Count: 9,419. Total Editing Time: 917 minutes. Fifteen Chapter Checkpoint: 192 favorites, 179 alerts, 479 reviews. Total Writing Time: 8911 minutes ( 148.52 hours). True Word Count: 115,540.

Harmless Author Fact #16: I typically listen to Top 40 music, so if it hits mainstream radio, I've heard it.

Take care, and see you around!


	17. Magnetism

Chapter 17: Magnetism

Ansem didn't spend a lot of time with his daughters— perhaps less than he should have— but he still knew them well enough to know that they were ready to get rid of him.

Based on the way his twins were acting, he concluded that their two-day quality time session was more than ample. Still, he was happy to have spent his break with them. Perhaps it was best: young people had a tendency to forget responsibilities without a parent around to remind them.

But if his daughters were anything like him when he was their age, their tamed charade would disappear as soon as he left the car. Teenagers amused him greatly. Perhaps they forgot that parents were young once. He remembered how independent he wanted to be at that age; how he thought he was carving his own path of rebellion. It felt good to bend the rules, to ignore curfew. It was thrilling to go on late-night joyrides and drink around the pool with friends. If anything, the decade he grew up in was far more unruly than the current one.

His daughters needed to be reminded that they were still young. His ex-wife was the one who suggested he visit their twins, knowing full well that Kairi was up to something.

Admittedly, Naminé surprised him. He didn't expect to see her so… passionate around someone else. He knew that his daughter and Roxas had trouble getting along, but he walked in on something different. Tension was high between them, but it wasn't the same as before. Perhaps he would have to keep a closer eye on them, but Roxas hardly worried him. He could tell he commanded the boy's respect, possibly through sheer intimidation alone. Regardless, whatever was transpiring between the boy and his daughter would probably be good for them both.

As expected, Kairi was a different story. He knew she was hiding something from him as soon as she began talking incessantly about their summer experience. The older twin had a tendency to embellish her stories with many details when she lied. Just as he did in his younger years, Kairi only told her parents the sparse and general occurrences when they asked about her life. Most teenagers did. Perhaps her lying wouldn't be so obvious if she opened up to them more, but such expectations were unrealistic.

It didn't take long for Ansem to realize that Kairi was trying to hide what was just under his nose. He somewhat expected that Kairi held romantic feelings for one of her friends here at the Islands. He just hoped it would be Riku instead of Sora. Riku was such a nice and well-to-do boy.

He liked Sora though, and he knew the young man had no intention of harming his daughter.

Ansem looked at his daughter who was dutifully watching the road as she drove. It seemed she had no intention of telling him of her new relationship. He grinned. It was just like her to think she could hide it.

He trusted his girls. Forcing Kairi's hand would have been great if he meant to polarize her, but he quite enjoyed her affection—even if it undeserved at times. He learned a great deal from failure, and so his daughters would learn from making mistakes. Besides, Kairi inherited his drive and determination. _Nothing_ was going to stop her relationship with Sora unless she wanted it to end. His opinion was irrelevant; any attempt to interfere would only push her to make rash decisions.

"What's so funny?"

Ansem pulled himself from his thoughts. He must have been a bit too transparent. "I was just thinking about the past, is all. This is the first time you've ever driven me to the airport."

"You serious, Dad?" Kairi sent a skeptical look her father's way. "Do all parents do that?"

"Do what?"

"Mark the first time of every little event? This isn't the first time I've driven you, but you make the distinction anyway."

A deep laugh filled the car. "When you have kids of your own, you'll understand." If he and his ex-wife did their job correctly, then Kairi wouldn't even begin to know the feeling for a good ten years or so.

Seemingly satisfied, the more rambunctious twin dropped the subject. Ansem peered into the rearview mirror and chuckled. His other daughter had her focus entirely on a page of her sketchbook, a charcoal pencil held loosely in her right hand. Some things never changed; the book could have easily been attached to her body.

"How do you draw while the car is moving?" he asked out of curiosity.

Naminé didn't even glance up. "You get used to it after a while."

"You haven't discovered any new interests or hobbies recently have you?"

This time he got her to look away from her page. She smiled wryly. "If you're asking if I have a remote interest in medicine, then no. You know I can't stand the sight of blood or dead bodies."

"Depending on where you go after medical school, you might not even have to see many cadavers or blood for that manner." Ansem relented from his daughter's stare. "Or you could pursue a career in an artistic field. You know you'll have my support no matter what you decide to do."

"That's all I ask for."

A silence passed between them before Ansem spoke again. "You know, pharmacy is also a great field to… never mind." He laughed it off. "What are your plans after getting rid of me, if I may ask?"

As expected, each twin expected the other to answer. The lapse of conversation perhaps meant that neither of them wanted to tell him. Eventually, Naminé did. "We'll probably go home and rest a little bit before meeting up with friends."

"I see." Ansem stroked his beard. "Do the boys come over often, by the way? I was surprised to see them over when I arrived."

"Not really. Roxas has work every other day and Sora sleeps in like summer never ends. We only see them when we're at a party at someone else's or when Riku calls us to hang out. They were at the house when you came because we had just gotten home from the sleeping at the beach," answered Kairi.

Ansem hummed in amusement. His daughter was lying again. The boys were probably over more often than she thought he would have liked. "Well, I'm glad to hear you're having fun. Just remember to act responsibly."

The sigh that met his words brought a smile to his face. "Yes, Dad. We know."

* * *

><p>Roxas sighed contentedly as he stretched on his bed. He couldn't remember the last time he was able to experience an enjoyable, uninterrupted undie time.<p>

Though it was a few hours from nightfall, Roxas found himself exhausted. A long day of work and a late movie night with Xion apparently made a great formula for all-day fatigue.

It made his private time much sweeter. With the girls' father leaving, Sora stopped bothering him since Kairi would once again step in to fill the time void she so suddenly left behind. He also got his daily dose of Hayner, Olette, and Pence. Having filled his social interaction quota for the day, Roxas wanted nothing more than to laze about in bed for the rest of the day.

The fan above hummed faintly, spinning at its maximum speed. Roxas felt hypnotized by the motion, mostly drawn to the wonderful gusts of air it created. The weather outside was ridiculously hot, allowing him to appreciate the wonderful invention that was air conditioning.

If Roxas needed another excuse to justify his current state— that is, clad in only his boxers— he had one.

Roxas grabbed a pillow and pressed it against his chest, relishing the coolness against his skin. A relieved chuckle slipped through his lips. Perhaps it was strange, but he found cold pillows to be among the little things in life that pleased him greatly. Had it been cold, Roxas would have indulged in another one of life's joys: a warm pile of clean laundry, fresh out of the dryer. The feeling of falling into one of those was nothing short of glorious.

Thinking about the other side of the spectrum only reminded Roxas of how hot it was, so he flipped the pillow and made use of the other side. He already had his system down: with the warm side of the pillow facing the fan, it wouldn't be long before it cooled so he could repeat the process.

Roxas paused. Did he really have so much time to himself that he actually developed a method?

His cell phone rang, clearing the thought from his head and erasing the possible introspection that most likely would have followed. He grabbed his phone and accepted the call without checking.

"Hey," Roxas greeted, swinging and kicking his legs over the side of his bed.

"Are you busy?" The voice belonged to Xion.

Roxas looked down at his body and flipped his pillow over. "Yeah. Why do you ask?"

"No reason," Xion answered with a musical inflection. "You wanna go out tonight? Axel and Demyx are in charge of the tables at Spades tonight. VIP access, what what!"

Roxas rolled his eyes. "You know me too well. VIP access is the icing on the cake. Plus, my first experience there was so magical. You wouldn't happen to feel drawn to the place too, would you?"

"Why do I get the feeling that I hit a nerve?"

"That would be your intuition picking up on my scathing sarcasm," Roxas said matter-of-factly.

"You're so full of yourself," Xion giggled. "Sorry for bringing up the bad memory."

"No worries. You can buy me sea-salt ice cream the next time you see me as compensation."

"Yeah, that's not happening." A small shuffle occurred before Xion spoke again. "Since we just got off the topic of that awful night, have you spoken with Naminé at all today?"

Roxas groaned. "No, I haven't. And if you want complete honesty, today has been one of the better ones in a while."

"Aww, but you seem to enjoy the little arguments you have with her."

"To be honest, they're rather exhausting." Roxas lied. He hadn't told her anything following the beach party. Letting her know that he and Naminé were trying to work things out meant that he lost their wager.

Xion snickered. "I suppose you should stick to the texting huh?"

A growl buried itself into the pillow Roxas placed over his face. "That was a one-time thing. And thank you for reminding me that I need to kill my brother."

"First of all, I am one hundred percent sure that you would have continued your text conversation had you not been discovered. Don't deny it. And second, leave your brother alone. He's just doing his job."

"And I am one hundred percent sure that he went above and beyond the call of duty. In my eyes, justice is me beating him senselessly and excessively."

"Technically, you were obligated to talk to Naminé…"

"You're really stretching the terms of our agreement."

"I try," Xion said guiltlessly. "Well, I'm leaving you alone for now. I know you're busy and all, but be ready."

Her words and tone confused him. "What?"

"Bye-bye, Roxas."

A pair of low beeps followed soon after. Roxas dropped his phone off to the side, puzzled by the abrupt end to the conversation. He breathed deeply. Xion had a knack for ruining undie time. If she wasn't physically present and making a ruckus, she was intentionally being weird and attempting to be blind side him.

Still, she was but another one of life's joys. He wasn't a social butterfly like his brother, so perhaps that was the reason why he valued a best friend so greatly. Granted, said best friend was both a well of fun and happiness and a thorn at his side, but that made the friendship all the more genuine. Who wanted a best friend who wasn't a total nuisance every now and then?

Roxas flipped the pillow once more and closed his eyes. He was fine with a best friend who liked to flip the switch every now and then, but the world would be a more enjoyable place if his pillows managed to stay cold when he wanted them to.

* * *

><p>Sora flippantly browsed the TV catalog, changing the channel at an impractical speed. He had been unable to contain his excitement since Kairi texted him in the morning and announced that she'd be visiting him as soon as she and Naminé saw their father off.<p>

Since when did text messages have the ability to slow time? Maybe it was just him, but Sora had never seen time move so slowly. It even passed faster at _school_, a feat that he used to deem impossible. Why did time have to be such a tease?

A light knock at the door snapped Sora out of his reverie and compelled him to sprint to the front door. However, the rush of excitement fizzled as quickly as it appeared when he opened the door.

"Xion?" Sora questioned. It was understood that he was more surprised by her outfit than her appearance. Why would she wear black, full-bodied robe when it was so hot outside?

Before Sora pestered her with more questions, she held a finger to her lips and smiled. Sora soon returned it when she held her other hand in the air and showed him what she was holding.

"One of those days?" he whispered out of caution. It was unnecessary, but the lowered voice made the whole situation feel more covert and important.

A mischievous glint fluttered in Xion's eyes as she nodded silently. She pulled the hood of her outfit over her head, hiding her blue eyes from direct view.

"Good luck." Sora stepped aside, allowing Xion to continue upstairs. Though tempted to follow, Sora returned to the couch and waited with restored patience. His brother was in for quite the surprise.

The sounds alone would do well in killing time.

* * *

><p>Roxas was startled out of his dazed pre-nap state when the doorknob to his bedroom shook violently. He would've brushed it off as his imagination if it didn't happen again.<p>

"Sora, leave me alone!" He threw another pillow over his body as a precaution. "I'm serious. Now's not the time!"

The doorknob continued to jiggle until it came to an eerie and abrupt stop. As soon as Roxas began to question whether or not his brother actually left, the lock of his door began to turn.

He froze, inexplicably paralyzed by the horror-movie-worthy event. And, ever so slowly, the doorknob rotated and the air staled with a click. The door seemed to take its time in opening, and in the end it revealed the visitor at the threshold.

Roxas's eyes widened at the sight of the hooded figure, a surge of fear and adrenaline coursed through his veins. He watched as a set of lips curved into a sinister smile, one that only his best friend could pull off.

And then, in proper terrifying fashion, Xion raised her arms out before her and brandished a long hilt from her sleeves.

It was the handle of a double-bladed lightsaber.

Without missing a beat, she turned it quickly in her hand. The toy sword buzzed to life as one of the plastic blade ends stretched outward. Another quick twirl extended the counterpart. Xion transferred the toy sword to her left hand, flicking the light switch off with her right hand.

Roxas suddenly didn't care that he was only wearing his underwear. He only returned the hard gaze he was receiving, though his was most likely laced with traces of fear and excitement.

Xion's words suddenly made sense to him. If only he understood her warning.

Three thoughts occupied Roxas's mind at that moment. The first was that his first lightsaber was hidden underneath his bed. The second was that he didn't remember where he hid his second toy sword. And the third thought, which was undeniably the dominant idea, was that he was totally, majorly, and royally screwed over.

The fan above came to a complete stop.

"Oh shi—"

* * *

><p>"Nothing against Dad or anything, but I'm really glad that we're about to see our real friends again." Kairi drove with a huge smile on her face.<p>

Naminé almost felt nauseous. Knowing her sister, she effectively stated she was excited to see Sora again. Heaven forbid they go two days without seeing each other. "I enjoyed our time with Dad."

"I did too. It was fun beating him at golf."

"We started with a bogey handicap, so you didn't really beat him."

"Hey, if you think about it, I did very well!" Kairi cast a sideways glance her sister's way and smirked. "I think you're just mad because you ended up in last place."

"Let's pretend I thought that getting the highest score in golf was the goal."

"I'd rather blame your athletic incompetency," quipped Kairi. She wasn't wrong to do so. To be blunt, her sister's physical ability left much to be desired. Seeking a change of subject, Kairi switched the gears of their conversation. "Did you text Roxas to let him know we were on our way?"

Naminé almost blanched at the suggestion. "No, I thought you texted Sora already."

"I did, but a reminder doesn't hurt. Just call him and let him know we're a couple minutes away."

"You want me to _call_ him?" Naminé asked disbelievingly.

"Or text, whatever. Just let him know. Sora probably forgot by now anyway."

The blonde shifted uncomfortably in her seat. She and Roxas had undoubtedly improved their treatment of one another, but calling him felt weird. She felt strange enough having his phone number. It wasn't like they were friends or something.

Then again, they were supposedly trying to be just that.

Foreign feelings aside, Naminé willed herself to press the call button. To her relief, Roxas didn't answer.

"He didn't pick up," Naminé announced.

* * *

><p>Roxas rolled out of the way before the plastic blade made contact with his bare chest. He fell onto the floor hard, but ignored the winded feeling and reached under his bed for his weapon. Just as his saber lit up, Roxas quickly blocked an incoming slice to his neck.<p>

"H-Hold on a second!" the half-naked blond stammered.

"Time's up!" Xion laughed maniacally as she took another swing, missing Roxas's right shoulder by a few centimeters. She watched him dart over to the other side of his room. "You can't run away from me!"

"Can I at least put some clothes on?" Roxas nervously looked around his room. Where was his second sword?

"You wasted that chance." Xion lunged at Roxas again, her blow deflected by Roxas's single lightsaber. The impact sound effect buzzed after a second-long delay.

The blond ran over to his closet door and threw it open. He inwardly cheered when he saw the handle of his second sword. In the most dramatic fashion possible, Roxas took the lightsaber in his left hand and swung it to life, smirking at the sound of his two humming blades. "I was looking for this. Looks like we're even now."

Xion's lips curved into a wry smile. "That's what you think."

With both weapons in hand, Roxas was finally able to take the offensive. Without an ounce of hesitation, the blond ran at his enemy poised to defeat her.

* * *

><p>Naminé awkwardly stood off to the side as her sister wrapped her boyfriend in a long and tight hug. It took all her effort to keep quiet. They would be ones to miss each other that much after only a few days.<p>

"How are you, Naminé? Did you enjoy some nice parental quality time?" Sora acknowledged the blonde's existence.

"It was fine. I'm sure Kairi will tell you all about it." She shared a look with her twin. "Is Roxas upstairs?"

"Yup. You should… see what he's up to. I bet he'd love to know that you're here already." Sora had a creepy smile on his face, almost as if he was trying to hide something.

She shrugged it off. He was probably trying to subtly hint that he wanted to be alone with Kairi. If the last time was any indication of what went on in her sister's relationship, Naminé wanted to make sure she was nowhere to be found.

A loud crash froze her in place, followed by the sound of something heavy hitting the ground. Naminé slowly continued up the stairs, wondering what Roxas was doing that would make so much noise. She cautiously approached his slightly ajar door and pushed it open.

The scene before her belonged on the list of things she never would have— or should have— seen Roxas doing. Dressed only in his boxers, Roxas straddled his best friend and pinned her wrists to the floor. He wore a devilish smirk as he spoke, "You. Lose. Again." It wasn't until he finished his taunt did he notice the blonde standing at his doorway in utter shock.

Realization, wide-eyed mortification, and complete horror crossed Roxas's features in quick succession.

"I… I'm s-sorry! I didn't mean t-to interrupt," Naminé stuttered as a blush burned her face.

"Wai—" Roxas reached a hand out, but Naminé slammed the door behind her as she ran. He quickly got off Xion as if to give chase, but he stopped at his door when he realized he wasn't dressed. Embarrassment turned into anger as he turned his gaze on his best friend. "Xion!"

She flinched back from the volume and desperation in his voice. "W-What?"

"Go after her! You have to explain everything!"

"What? Why do I have to?" She pushed herself to her feet.

Roxas threw his drawers open and began digging for clothes. "Because I need to change! You should've let me when I said so!"

"I— fine!" Xion sighed in annoyance. She left the room and hurried downstairs, trying to determine why Roxas was so insistent on offering an explanation. They got caught playing a game. Was that a legitimate reason to freak out?

Xion found Naminé pacing in the kitchen, sketchbook and pencil in hand. Despite the blonde's efforts, she completely failed at trying to look busy. Xion walked into the room, lightly rapping the wall to announce her arrival. "Naminé?"

Naminé looked up before averting her gaze. "Oh! Don't mind me, I'm sorry… I didn't really see anything, so you're fine. Really, you are."

Xion chuckled sympathetically. "Whatever you're thinking, I'm very sure you've got the wrong idea. Roxas and I were just playing a game— a lightsaber fight, I swear," she quickly added for clarification.

Naminé shifted uncomfortably and stared at the floor. "You don't have to explain yourself. I didn't see anything, really—"

"But you did," Xion said curtly. "You saw the uh… aftermath of a duel. Not that they all end like that!" Xion fumbled for the right words. "Roxas and I play this really fun game where one person is the master and the other is the apprentice and see there's this Rule of Two and… I'm not explaining this well at all! I swear it's not as weird as it sounds!"

Naminé smiled apologetically. She felt as if she stumbled upon something shared between the pair of friends. The knowledge of that made her swell with disappointment. "I probably won't understand, will I?"

Xion sighed in defeat. "We just turned something into a little game. It's hard to explain…"

"It's not your fault. I should've knocked first. I mean I heard noises, so I should've assumed he was… busy." Naminé again looked down at her blank page. "I'm making this more awkward than this has to be, aren't I? I didn't mean to screw up your time together."

"No, you aren't! I actually really want Roxas to hang out with you!" Xion walked up to Naminé, stopping at a distance more appropriate for a friendly conversation. "I mean you obviously wanted to see him, right?"

Naminé's eyes widened. "Why do you say that?"

"You wouldn't have come into his room if that wasn't the case. Or am I wrong?"

"I was just going to check up on him since Sora and Kairi were having their moment," Naminé explained.

"Don't let me get in the way then!"

"It's fine, I saw that he was doing quite well anyway."

Xion gulped. Her attempt to steer the conversation fell flat. She hoped to fluster the blonde with her implications, but instead she got smacked with hostility. Was Naminé mad at her?

Part of Xion felt victorious, but the half she wanted to win urged her onward. She could use this. Her mistake didn't have to translate into failure.

"Well you look bored here by yourself. Why don't you come and hang out with us?" she offered.

"I don't think Roxas would—"

"Xion? Naminé?"

The girls turned to find Roxas slowly entering the kitchen. Xion noted the way the two avoided eye contact.

"I was trying to explain that whole thing Naminé saw, but… maybe it would be better coming from you." Xion shuffled out of the room and darted up the stairs.

"So did Xion tell you that we were playing a game?"

"Did you borrow that term from Sora and Kairi?"

"What?" Roxas furrowed his brow in confusion.

"You heard me."

"What are you talking about?"

"You and Xion. You guys obviously have a thing going on."

"What? Are you serious?"

"I should be asking you that. If you wanted to spend time with your girlfriend, then you should have just told me." Naminé crossed her arms.

Wow. I don't even know where to begin with that." Roxas scratched his head angrily. "I think you're really confused."

"Enlighten me then."

"I'm getting the vibe that you're angry at me again and I don't know why."

"I'm angry because you—" Naminé abruptly stopped. "Forget it. Go and continue your game. I'll be down here."

"Naminé!" Roxas followed the blonde into the living room. "There's nothing like that between Xion and me. I know she told you that. Why are you getting mad at me for that?"

"Leave me alone, Roxas. That's not the reason."

"Then what is?" Roxas persisted. He never got an answer. Naminé simply crossed her arms and stared out the window, refusing to even acknowledge his presence. "The silent treatment? Really?"

Naminé didn't react.

"Fine." Roxas turned on his heel and stomped up the stairs. What was her problem? She wasn't even giving him a chance to explain. She was mad at him, but didn't give him an explanation. He tried to be civil, but that only resulted in the silent treatment.

He almost laughed. No matter how hard they tried, they always ended up fighting.

"Judging by that scowl on your face, I take things didn't go well," Xion noted as Roxas entered the room.

"Are you really judging that on my reaction instead of chance?" Roxas grunted as he dropped on the bed.

Xion closed the door and joined him on the bed. She lifted his head so he could rest on her lap. "Are you giving up?"

"I'm just not going to talk to her. She obviously wants nothing to do with me."

Xion smiled softly as she ran her hands through his hair, getting a long sigh out of him. It was her way of helping him relax. He'd need it. She planned on dropping a bomb. "That's where I think you're wrong."

"Where?"

"I think she wants everything to do with you." Xion fought down a smile. "I think she likes you."

Bomb dropped.

"_What?"_ Roxas shot up.

"I think she likes—"

"Why would you even suggest that after what happened?" yelled the blond.

"Because I like watching you freak out. You try to act so cool all the time and when I say that Naminé likes you all hell breaks loose."

"You're a bitch."

"I know." Xion pushed Roxas back onto the bed and sat next to him. She smirked. Apparently that line was a little too early. Thank goodness for safety valve options. "I know you've been hiding something from me. Naminé doesn't exactly walk up to your door to hang out on a whim, and you've never been so concerned about her so much that you'd _yell_ at me to go fix it."

"Sorry," he apologized meekly.

"Do you mind updating me on what's going on?" Xion opened a floodgate. Roxas told her everything that happened, from the drunken night to the car ride to the text conversation. Every little detail surprised her. Roxas actually wanted to be Naminé's friend, or at least reach that level of civility. "So you told her that you thought she was hot?"

"Is that all you got out of this?"

"No, but that certainly stands out. I can't believe you did that." Xion let out a low whistle.

"I really wish I hadn't."

"But it's obvious that I'm on the verge of winning, so I'm motivated now too." She lightly slapped the blond's cheeks. "How are you going to fix this?"

"I don't know. I have to give her space, right?" Roxas's question was met with a harsh slap to the face. "Ow!"

"Are you dumb?"

"Did you just slap me?"

"Are you _dumb?_"

"No! And you just freakin' _slapped_ me!"

"Have I taught you nothing? That was the whole point of Project Perfect Boyfriend!"

"Project _what_?"

"Never mind!" Xion quickly covered her tracks. "Girls want guys who chase them and fight for them! Grovel at her feet, Roxas! Grovel at them!"

"I'm getting the feeling I lost you somewhere."

"Ugh, you need to read romance novels." Xion stood and primed herself for lecture. "If you want to find your way into a girl's heart—"

"You are blowing this _way_ out of proportion."

"—then you have to fight for it. You don't give her 'time to think,' Roxas. You chase her!" Xion slammed her hands on Roxas's shoulders.

"So how do you think I should go about doing this? I'm not exactly in the mood to run around and play tag and she isn't either."

"You don't literally chase her," Xion scoffed. "You force her to listen to you, kinda like what you did in the car when you called her hot."

Roxas rolled away from her. "Stop bringing that up!"

"Fine. You get my point though. You either force her to listen or force her to _want_ to talk to you."

Roxas glared at his walls. He wasn't exactly sure how he was going to get Namine to listen to him, so that was off the table. How could he make her want to talk to him though? She seemed pretty intent on ignoring him.

His eyes landed on his game system. The case of Portal 2 was still sitting on top of it. As he recalled the time he played the game with her, an idea struck him. "I think I have something."

"What?" Xion tore herself away from her phone after finishing a text. "A good idea, I hope?"

"Yeah. I think I know just the thing to make her talk."

* * *

><p>One expression, one look, one second. It was all Naminé needed to discover that Xion liked Roxas.<p>

Naminé picked up on Xion's attempt to manipulate her, and she supposed she had her sister to thank for that. Kairi was, after all, the only girl who could consistently outwit her. Xion wasn't nearly as practiced.

Naminé threw the attempt back at Roxas's best friend and shed some light on the truth. Everyone who suspected Xion was right. Granted, the girl had a way of misleading others.

Not Naminé though. Not only was she a girl too— boys were a bit too dense to notice— but she could scheme with the best of them.

Naminé almost missed Xion's attempt to confuse her too. From that point onward, Naminé felt angry. What was Xion trying to pull? Was she trying to get her to admit something about Roxas?

That wasn't going to happen.

Xion was good, but Naminé was better. She knew a smug face when she saw one. For a second— perhaps shorter— Xion almost seemed happy at Naminé's suggestion that the "best friends" were together.

But no matter how much she thought about it, that wasn't the reason why she was angry.

Her anger was directed at Roxas, and maybe even at Xion. She blamed him for straddling his best friend and playing weird games with her. He had to be an idiot. How did he not realize how Xion felt about him?

The more she thought about it, the angrier she became. Not only did he abruptly end their text conversation yesterday, but she had a feeling it had to do with Xion.

Naminé groaned. There it was again.

It was inexplicable and irrational. Roxas had friends. He had good friends, and Xion happened to be one of them. But why did she have so much trouble accepting that? It annoyed her.

It annoyed her that Roxas and Xion had inside jokes. It annoyed her that they played games together, that they had their own thing for so long, that they—

No. She wasn't annoyed with them. She was angry with herself for being bothered by it.

It didn't make any sense. It shouldn't have bothered her at all.

It was strange. Part of her was rooting for Xion, but the other part found the brunette really annoying. She wanted Xion and Roxas to be together in a sense, but at the same time she found herself disgusted by it. She didn't like how Roxas completely missed the fact that his best friend had feelings for him. She also didn't like how his best friend had feelings for him in the first place. Was she okay with that?

It wasn't supposed to matter, but it did. Why was that the case?

Naminé jumped when she caught movement from the corner of her eye. It was Xion.

"Hey," the brunette greeted. "You okay?"

Naminé forced a smile. "I'm fine. Why do you ask?"

"Because something just happened between you and Roxas— and I guess me too— so I wanted to know."

Naminé didn't have to fake her expression anymore. At least Xion was direct. "It's nothing. I'm not mad, I promise. I was just… shocked."

"I understand." Xion slipped her shoes on and threw her black coat over her shoulder. The handle of her toy sword was tucked under her arm.

"You're leaving?"

"Yeah, I… I have to see someone. It's nothing serious though." Xion opened the door. "See you. Tell your sister I said good-bye!"

Naminé watched Xion leave through the window she was sitting next to. Something about the departure felt… staged. Xion was either hiding something about her destination or removing herself from the situation. Naminé didn't have the time to contemplate it since Roxas ambled down the stairs with a tangle of cords and a game system in his arms. Naminé raised a brow. What was he doing?

She watched him silently. Even after he started setting up at the TV, Naminé held onto her suspicion. Not once did he turn around to look at her. She tried to ignore his presence, but she couldn't' focus on the blank page of her sketchbook. It didn't surprise her. She'd been staring at it for the past ten minutes and couldn't find the will to draw.

She discreetly looked up to peek at the TV screen. Roxas was playing the same game he played with her. She watched him for a while, fighting down a smile when the computer voice would say something smart.

Roxas eventually reached a point where he couldn't figure out what to do. Naminé watched intently, her amusement slowly turning into frustration. She bit her lip, tempted to offer a possible solution or make a comment on how he tried certain methods repeatedly when they've proven to fail on a consistent basis. When Roxas tried one method for the umpteenth time, she broke.

"Maybe if you try it again it'll work this time." The words left her mouth before she realized.

Roxas's reaction came delayed. "I can't think of anything else."

"And your current methods are working so well that they're worth repeating, right?" Naminé fought a smile when Roxas turned around to face her.

"Got any bright ideas, genius?"

"I do. Why don't you try shooting the far wall at the top left?"

"This one?"

"The _far_ wall."

"So this one."

"On the _left_!"

"Where?"

Naminé clenched her jaw. Was he doing this on purpose? "Give me the controller."

"No."

"Seriously?" Naminé placed her sketchbook aside and held out her hand. "I'll do it for you. Give me the controller."

"Since you think you have the solution, why don't you come and get it?" Roxas smirked mischievously.

The blonde huffed before walking over to him. She snatched the controller from his hands and stared at the buttons. "How do I shoot again?"

"I saw that coming," Roxas sighed. He tapped the button Naminé was supposed to press and watched her carry out her suggestion. It seemed to be the first step of the solution, but beyond that point was another impasse. "Ha. Harder than it looks, huh?"

"Like you were doing any better."

"Mind giving me the controller back?"

"No." Naminé held the remote closer to her body. "You gave it up."

Roxas laughed and rolled his eyes. "I gave you the controller so you could try your idea. It didn't work. Time to hand it over."

"You got like, twenty tries or something!" Naminé continued playing, shooting her portals in a random fashion. "I'm not finished yet."

"You can't just take over my game!"

"I just did."

Roxas crossed his arms and slumped, force to watch Naminé play the rest of the level. Every now and then it seemed like she stumbled upon another step, but she oftentimes ruined her momentum with haphazard portal placement. Still, he got her to talk to him again. Even if she did it out of necessity, it was better than her being mad at him.

Watching her play and make funny facial expressions was also entertaining, but he would never say it aloud.

He idly watched the screen until something hit him. "Wait!" The volume of his voice made her jump. "Oops. My bad."

"What?" Naminé ground out.

"Shoot it a little to the right. Right there, yeah." Roxas got on his knees and pointed to the screen. "Now shoot your other one… yeah."

"I was going to try this next." Naminé said nonchalantly.

"Right. I'm sure you were."

"Ha!" Naminé pumped her fist and dropped the controller next to Roxas. "That's how it's done!"

"I helped you!"

"No, I helped _you_." Naminé giggled, reveling in her feeling of superiority. "You would have been here for an extra twenty minutes had I not saved you."

Roxas smirked. "Well, if you think you're so great, why don't you solve the next one?"

Naminé raised a brow. She debated whether or not she really wanted to take the remote Roxas was holding out to her. She would've denied it if it wasn't for that condescending tone of his.

Challenge accepted.

"Fine. Try not to be too discouraged when you find how much smarter I am."

* * *

><p>"Do you hear that?"<p>

"Hear what?"

"Laughing." Kairi walked to Sora's door and cracked it open. "It's real!"

Sora shrugged his bare shoulders. "So is laughing a rare occurrence now?"

"It is when you put Roxas and Naminé together!" Kairi quietly closed the door and leapt onto Sora's bed with him. "What does it mean?"

"That they found a cure or undid the curse?"

"What?"

"Never mind." Sora wrapped his arms around Kairi and pulled her close. "Back to cuddling."

"No. We have to get ready. We're meeting Riku tonight for a movie, remember?" Kairi's actions contradicted her words. Instead of taking her own suggestion, she rested her head on Sora's chest and closed her eyes.

"You know you don't want to go out tonight either." Sora yawned loudly to emphasize his point.

"Not a chance. We're not turning into that couple who disappears and neglects friends." Kairi held herself up at eye level.

"But I _like_ disappearing," Sora said suggestively. His fingers lightly brushed her lower back as he captured her lips. "Let's just stay inside today."

"We can't," Kairi murmured against his lips. She felt herself slipping away. "We have to leave soon."

"In five minutes then."

Kairi inhaled deeply as Sora planted kisses down her neck. Five minutes couldn't hurt. She allowed herself to indulge for the short time.

It wouldn't have been a problem if it didn't turn into forty. Her phone rang, and out of courtesy she had to answer. Sora pouted as Kairi answered with a smile. "Hello?"

"Where the heck are you guys? I've been waiting here for ten minutes already." Riku complained.

Kairi frowned. "I thought we were meeting at eight?"

"Well then why are you still late? It's ten minutes past that!"

Kairi checked her phone and covered her mouth. "You've got to be kidding me." She glared at her boyfriend.

"Time sure flies when you're having fun— ow! Okay, okay! I'm getting ready!"

"Was that Sora? Come on, guys!" Riku growled into the receiver. "You're seriously that horny?"

"We'll meet you in twenty." Kairi hung up and quickly searched for her shirt. "This is your fault! You said five minutes!"

"I got carried away!" Sora whined. "Can you blame me?"

"Flattery isn't going to save you now. And put a shirt on, please!"

"You're the one that took it off," Sora muttered as he searched his closet. He pulled on the first one he could find. "You're not mad at me now, are you?"

Kairi adjusted her shirt and frowned. "No, I'm not. I just wish you'd stop… being addictive, I guess. We have other friends, you know. And since we're going to be together for the rest of our lives, don't you think that's enough time?"

"The rest of our lives?" Sora squeaked.

Kairi smiled devilishly. "I knew that would work. But really. We can't forget about everyone else. How would you like it if Riku and I started dating and you were the one that had to wait?"

"I get it." Sora opened the door to his room and allowed Kairi to lead the way. The couple ambled to the lower level of the house, finding Naminé and Roxas in front of the TV. Sora laughed upon seeing his brother. "Is he sleeping?"

Naminé looked away from the TV screen. Sure enough, the boy at her side had fallen asleep. "Oh. No wonder why he got so quiet."

"You need to move him to a bed, Nam," Kairi advised as she slipped her shoes on. "Sora and I are heading out. Why don't you and Roxas order something to eat?"

"We'll see." The blonde eyed the departing pair. They must've gotten carried away with things. She fought the urge to frown and smiled weakly. "Have fun then."

"We'll be back in a few hours!" Sora closed the door behind them as they left.

Naminé sighed and looked down at Roxas. He was knocked out. It only felt like a few minutes ago that he was helping her advance through a few levels of the game she was playing. Playing the game herself only made her realize how time-consuming gaming actually was. She mentally swore that she'd never buy a system, lest she throw her life away to alternate universes.

A smile formed on her lips when Roxas shifted. The pillow he had been using was now securely wrapped in his arms. His head therefore lay flat against the carpeted floor. Naminé turned the game off and lightly nudged her sleeping companion. She then remembered that he was a deep sleeper, and in turn she gave him a hard shove.

"Hmm?"

"You fell asleep," Naminé informed. "Kairi said that you should go to bed."

Roxas cracked his eyes open before slowly closing them again. "Too far."

"Then you're gonna stay on the floor?"

Roxas made a whining sound before crawling over to the nearest couch. He pulled himself onto it and fell with a huff. "Happy?"

"You're really dramatic." Naminé picked up the pillow he left behind and brought it to him.

"Where are you going?"

"Here." Naminé dropped onto the same sofa where her sketchbook waited. "Go to sleep. You obviously need it."

"I never told you why I wasn't wearing anything earlier, did I?" Roxas mumbled with a yawn.

The sudden change of topic caught Naminé's interest. "Do I even want to hear a reason?"

"I was having undie time," Roxas continued. "Xion interrupted undie time like she always does to overthrow me as master."

"I can't imagine why," Naminé snorted. When she realized what she said, she winced. Part of her was grateful Roxas didn't really comprehend the blow. "I'm guessing undie time is underwear time?"

"Yeah. Underwear time. When I don't feel like changing or putting clothes on after a shower. Undie time." Roxas's head fell limp against the seat cushion, a pillow held tightly against his chest.

Naminé shook her head. Hearing that stripping down to his undergarments was not part of his game with Xion, the blonde felt somewhat relieved. She stared at Roxas. Had he always been so weird? Perhaps weird was the wrong word. He seemed almost… intriguing. Little by little Naminé felt like she was getting closer to seeing who he really was and how he normally acted when he felt like he didn't have to put a front.

Like how he acted when he was alone with Xion.

"You're playing with your best friend's heart and you don't even realize it," she whispered softly.

He looked so relaxed when he slept. His face wasn't contorted in anger, nor was it curled into a condescending look. He looked innocent, even defenseless. Hugging a pillow in such a way made him appear even child-like. All of it was a completely different light.

She looked down at her open sketchbook and pulled it onto her lap. A thought came to her, and she knew what belonged on the blank page in front of her. Pulling her phone out, Naminé stole one lasting glance at the sleeping boy, extracted her favorite pencil from the spiral spine, and began drawing.

* * *

><p>A whole week passed in the blink of an eye.<p>

Naminé nervously stared at the steering wheel of her car, curling her fingers around its soft leather handle. Despite her obvious improvements, she couldn't shake the fear of driving alone for the first time.

Every other day, Roxas would come over at some point in the day and go for a few driving lessons. Under his direction, she comfortably drove at night and somehow survived driving through a rainy day akin to a torrential downpour.

It came as a surprise when Roxas told her that she'd have to pick him up from work.

The prospect of the task wouldn't have been as scary if she didn't have to drive alone. If she knew where the place was, then it'd be even easier. She knew she could drive when someone else was in the car. She also knew she was a safe driver when she wasn't simultaneously looking for her destination.

Neither of the two applied today.

The car behind her honked. Naminé jumped, realized the light was green, and quickly drove forward.

The blonde had to admit that she was also a little miffed. It seemed as if Roxas came up with completely ridiculous reasons just so he would have a ride home after work.

"You need to learn how to use street names and develop your sense of natural direction. You can't use landmarks forever, and what happens if you don't realize you're driving in the wrong direction?" he said the previous night.

What was wrong with landmarks? It was the best way of remembering directions. Turn right at the red-roofed building. If she passed the grocery store, she went too far and had to make a U-turn. It simplified everything.

On the topic of U-turns, Naminé executed them rather perfectly. No more curb-bumping for her.

"There it is!" Naminé cheered victoriously upon seeing the indicated building from her printed map. One perfect U-turn later, she turned into the predominantly-vacant lot and pulled into a spot. The maneuver was a lot easier when she didn't have to worry about hitting other cars.

The driving trip was an overall success, passed with flying colors.

Having arrived two minutes early, Naminé sent one text to her sister to let her know that she was alive and another to Roxas to let him know she arrived. She looked up in time to see Xion walking out of the building, a frown etched on her face. Naminé turned off her car and was about to greet the brunette, but it seemed like she had no interest in staying. Xion hopped into her car and drove off.

Slightly concerned, Naminé locked her car and approached the building. Roxas's workplace was apparently an animal hotel that doubled as a shelter. As she opened the door, a bell rang to announce her arrival. She was greeted by a large orange cat. It rubbed itself along her leg, making the blonde giggle. "Hello to you too!" She reached down to pet it.

"Naminé?"

Said girl looked up to see Olette wiping her hands with a paper towel. She rubbed the cat's cheek one more time before standing. "Hi Olette! How are you?"

"I'm great, thank you. I see you met Nomnom."

"Nomnom?" Naminé repeatedly incredulously.

"The cat. Roxas and Hayner thought it'd be an awesome name and it kinda stuck," Olette explained. "But I'm guessing you're not here to adopt or pick up a pet, right?"

"Oh, I'm here to pick up Roxas. I guess in that sense I am picking up an animal," Naminé joked and folded her hands in front of her. "He told me he'd finish around this time."

Confusion turned into realization on Olette's face. "Ah! That explains why Xion left alone. He's just cleaning up a few things right now. You can go back and get him if you want." She pointed to the back room from where she emerged.

"I'll just wait out here if he's coming out soon." Naminé busied herself with the photos on the wall. She'd occasionally stumble on a picture of Roxas. Her easy favorite had Roxas laughing with a whole litter of kittens walking all over him.

It was half-adorable, half-emasculating.

"You made it!"

Naminé turned to see Roxas smiling at her. She was still getting used to the new way of greeting. "Were you expecting otherwise?"

"Of course not. I taught you." Roxas crossed his arms and stared at the wall of photos beside her.

"So do you like kittens or something?" Naminé raised a brow and pointed to a photo of Roxas holding a kitten against his face.

"A little, I guess." He rolled his eyes when Olette snorted behind them. "Ready to go?"

"Ready when— aww! There's a kitten on your head in this one!" Naminé gushed and giggled.

It was the one picture Roxas was hoping she wouldn't spot. "Yeah, we should probably go now." He dragged her out the front by her arm.

"It was so adorable!" She looked over her shoulder. "I want to look at more!"

"No."

Naminé looked at him and found he was blushing. "Ah, is someone embarrassed?" She poked his side, making him yelp in surprise. "Is someone ashamed that his little softie side was exposed?" Naminé cooed.

"I don't know what you're talking about," Roxas briskly walked to the passenger's side of Naminé's car and waited for her to unlock the doors.

The driver found it more appropriate to tease him a little further. "You try to act so tough all the time, while all you really wanna do is play with kittens all day! Isn't that cute?"

"Oh forget it! I'll just have Xion get me!" Roxas groaned, reluctantly giving in much to Naminé's satisfaction.

"Is Roxas getting mad at me?" Naminé exaggerated her pout, laughing when Roxas ignored her. Having unlocked the car, she followed Roxas's example and got in. "If there is one thing that will never get old, it's taking advantage of every little opportunity to make you blush."

"I'm not blushing. It's just hot outside." Roxas turned the air conditioning to the highest setting.

"I see. In other news, I recently discovered that I've had these mind reading powers lying dormant within me all along." Naminé pulled out of her parking spot. "That's my way of lying to tell you that I know you're lying, by the way."

"I'm not lying," Roxas insisted. "That's why you're driving to the ice cream parlor."

Naminé stopped the car in the middle of the parking lot. "So I'm your chauffeur now?"

"Yes, _but,_" Roxas spoke slowly, "it's also tradition to get ice cream after work."

"You're such a liar."

"If you don't believe me, go and ask Olette! They all know I get ice cream at least once a week."

Naminé seriously considered doing just that, but decided it wasn't worth the effort. "You better not be lying."

"I'm not! Go down Sunset Avenue, take a right on Paopu Boulevard, and continue south until you reach the parlor." Roxas leaned back into his seat. "This will be good for you too. You need to learn the roads, and there's one more thing I want to make sure you know how to do."

Naminé waited until the road was clear before merging onto it. "I hope you know that since you're making me drive you, you have to pay for my ice cream now."

Roxas frowned before an idea struck. "I'll take that deal on one condition."

"And the condition is?"

"You pass your last test."

Naminé raised a brow. It seemed easy enough. "All right. Bring on the free ice cream."

* * *

><p><strong>Redeeming Endeavor<strong>: To those of you who added LPA to their favorites or subscription list, I thank you.

Huge thanks goes out to** Tenshi Yami- Angel of Darkness, Revenge of the Red Pen, elspoek1, Gumi Harue, Ash09, EnterAbyss2991, li'miss sunshine, Lil Leif, Burai Stelar, Spellbound a.k.a soragirl4ever, Lulu, TwinToshiro, xglitter-gloss, KurukiXV, Happy Reader, Gear001, Versivalia, Muledragon, Ayperi, Brown Eyed Sage, Belt-Fed Rager, Draco Oblivion, 18summer, illusional writter, Aaralynne, typewrite, Handwritten, JacindaWeire, abidethestance, Pili1995, RoxasLuvsCookies, Kutsuri, Music-girls-wings, Caramelized,** and** namiroku**. I loved hearing from you guys!

Chapter Data- Total Editing Time: 846 minutes. Word Count: 9,057.

Harmless Author Fact #17: My favorite kind of M&Ms were Crispy M&Ms.

Take care, and see you around!


	18. The Pull

Chapter 18: The Pull

Kairi stretched her arms above her head and sighed in delight, soaking up the sun's warm rays. "Isn't this nice, Sora?"

Sora cracked one eye open. "Hmm?"

"This. You, me, and Riku hanging out just like the old days."

"Yeah, it is."

"You know, honestly I've been feeling like all we do is make out now. Not that it isn't fun, but it's nice to be around our other friends."

"Guys, I'm really happy for you and all, but you seriously need to work on _including_ your other friends in the conversation," Riku interrupted.

"Sorry," apologized Sora on behalf of himself and his giggling girlfriend.

The trio of teens lay comfortably on their separate rafts, lazily floating about in Riku's backyard pool. It was Kairi's brilliant idea to spend the day together. Their morning began bright and early with a fishing trip at sea, which provided the boys an opportunity to settle their fish competition once and for all. Coming off a close victory, Riku then invited his friends to his house for lunch.

It was the kind of summer day they dreamed about in school. None of them had any obligation that day and had the complete freedom to do as they pleased. Feeling particularly rebellious, the trio went so far as to jump in Riku's pool before _right after eating._

If the lounging didn't make them feel like badasses, then the blatant disregard for a rule enforced by their parents certainly did.

"Riku, your phone is ringing," Kairi informed as she turned herself over.

Riku paddled over to the edge of the pool to retrieve it. After a very quick conversation he hung up and pushed off the wall. "That was Xion. She's coming over."

"Oh? Does she come over often?" Kairi asked slyly.

"Not as often as Sora at your place," Riku shot back.

Kairi splashed Sora for laughing at his best friend's joke. "So why is she coming over now?" she asked Riku.

"She went to pick Roxas up from work, but he told her he didn't need a ride since your sister was coming to get him."

"Whoa, did I hear that right?" Sora added himself to the conversation. "Naminé was picking up Roxas?"

"What's wrong with that? Isn't she supposed to be around Roxas when we're together?" Kairi asked as she ran her hands through the water.

No longer needing an excuse to spend excessive amounts of time with Kairi, Sora had no problem sharing the minor detail he left out. "She technically doesn't have to when he's working."

"Wait, you guys know about the bet?" Riku asked nervously. "How much did Xion tell you?"

"You mean you know too?" Kairi questioned with genuine surprise. "How?"

"Okay, hold on!" Sora sat up in his raft and floated between his friends. "We're pooling our information. Right now."

"Ha! Pooling. Nice one, Sora."

"Wow, I didn't even try!"

"As much as I love Sora's puns too, Riku," Kairi quickly interrupted, "I think we should all talk before Xion arrives. Sound good?"

Riku coughed. "Right. Sounds like a plan."

The trio quickly filled in the gaps of their knowledge. Most of their information was known to both parties, and it was more a matter of how each came to know about the bet rather than what each of them knew. The conversation quickly devolved into a discussion about Roxas and Naminé, then to a discussion about Naminé herself, and finally settling on a critical analysis on Kairi's relationship with her sister.

Kairi found herself saddened as the conversation progressed. It seemed as if her best friends always knew something about her twin sister that she had not, a feat she had never encountered before. Sora and Riku weren't exactly Naminé's closest friends, but they seemed to hear certain details that eluded her.

"You okay, Kairi?"

She looked up to see Sora paddling toward her, a worried look on his face. Riku's vacant raft floated behind him. "No, I was just thinking."

"What about?"

"My sister," Kairi admitted. "I was just wondering why she doesn't talk to me like she used to. Do I look like I'm judging you when you talk to me?"

"Um, no. You don't."

"What changed then?" Kairi threw her head back in frustration. "This bothers me, Sora. It bothers me that my own sister isn't comfortable talking with me anymore. We used to talk about everything— like you, for example— but we haven't had a… I don't know. We haven't had a real conversation in a while."

"Are you sure it's her?" He placed a comforting hand on her back. "Maybe it's you. You've mentioned before that you can't stand her judgmental look, whatever that is."

"But why does that make her avoid me then? I don't do the same thing to her." Kairi dragged her hand along the surface of the water.

"Maybe she's looking out for you. Roxas doesn't like showing that he cares for me. In fact, he tries really hard to make it look like he doesn't really like me. But I know deep down inside that he does."

"What does that have to do with anything?"

"Maybe you shouldn't assume the intent of Naminé's actions. She knows that you don't like that look she sometimes gives you." Sora tried his best to cheer his girlfriend up. "All I'm trying to say is that Naminé cares for you too. She's curious about us, you know. I bet she has a ton of questions that you're just dying to answer."

"I'm not going to—" Kairi stopped when Sora gave her a disbelieving smile. "Fine, I might want to tell her about everything, but I can't do any of that if she never comes to talk to me!"

"You hate that look, so she avoids putting you in that situation. Wouldn't the best course of action be initiative on your part? It shows that you're willing to talk, for one, but also that you're not going to be pushed away if she accidentally gets all parent-like on you," Sora advised.

Kairi looked up from her reflection in the water and stared at her boyfriend in awe. "Have you been drinking again? When did you learn how to act like a grown-up?"

Sora folded his hands behind his head. "If Roxas was your brother, you'd come up with rationalizations about why he doesn't like playing co-op games with you too." He seemed to stop mid-thought but chuckled afterward. "Well, I call them rationalizations. It's very possible that I'm being delusional."

Kairi giggled and pulled her boyfriend closer by the raft. "Hey, you."

"Hmm?" Sora was surprised by a soft kiss to his lips.

"Thank you," Kairi gratefully added when they parted. "If it counts for anything, I don't think you're being delusional. I think you have a very clear understanding of sibling relationships."

"I told you. If I'm around, they do it with their eyes. As soon as I leave Kairi's halfway on top of him."

"Gross."

The couple in the pool looked up to see Riku and Xion standing at the edge, a disapproving look on both of their faces. Xion faked a gag, but quickly hid behind Riku to dodge Sora's splash.

"Don't get mad at us." Sora stuck his tongue out. "You just have terrible timing."

* * *

><p>"You are such… you are such a <em>butthead<em>."

Roxas stumbled as he walked, bouncing from store wall to lamp post for support. He laughed uncontrollably, attempting to stay in step with his companion.

"You have to admit," Roxas gasped, "that was hilarious."

"Ha ha. I'm ju st about dying."

"Me too!" Roxas howled as another fit of giggles took over. "You managed to block the whole street!"

Naminé looked down at the keys in her hand. She had to quell the appealing urge to use them to inflict pain. "If you just took over when I asked—"

"It wouldn't have been half as funny!" Roxas finally managed to gather himself. "I told you exactly what you needed to do."

"Whatever. I'll never even have to parallel park in Radiant Garden. That's what parking lots and garages are for."

The teens continued down the block toward the ice cream parlor. The downtown area had been particularly crowded that day, and neither of the two knew the reason. The masses had forced them to find alternative parking, and as it turned out, there was one available spot between two cars along the curb. It just happened to be exactly what Roxas was looking for too.

Naminé's final driving test was a simple parallel park. Since she never tried the maneuver ever before, Roxas had to explain the most effective way of doing it. Hearing how it was done and actually attempting it were completely different things, however. Naminé had about three attempts before the pressure of waiting cars began to stack behind them. Being his usual unhelpful self, Roxas only laughed when Naminé began to lose her cool.

The gig was up when the cars began honking. At that point, Naminé parked the car, climbed into the backseat, and pouted until Roxas properly fixed the parking job. She waited for all the waiting vehicles to pass before leaving Roxas laughing in the driver's seat.

"Don't cross!" Roxas reached out and grabbed Naminé's hand before she stepped into the intersection. He inadvertently pulled her off balance, but helped her stay on her feet by taking a shoulder to the chest. "Ow."

"Why aren't we crossing?" Naminé reclaimed her hand and folded it behind her back.

"Because the ice cream parlor is right there." Roxas pointed to the entrance just a few buildings down the block. "It looks pretty crowded."

"You had to pick the one place that everyone goes to," Naminé muttered. She and Roxas weaved their way to the entrance, stopping just outside the door. "So is this the best ice cream parlor in town or something?"

"It is, but it's never this crowded either," Roxas said under his breath. "Come on. The line itself doesn't look that long."

Roxas held the door and followed Naminé inside. The tables that were normally spread around the parlor instead lined the walls to maximize floor space. A line led to a table opposite to the ice cream display, piquing the interest of the pair. Upon Roxas's insistence, they made their way over to the mysterious line. It was entirely possible that some sort of fundraiser was being held on that particular day. It wouldn't be the first time the ice cream shop allowed an organization to hold events on their premise.

"Hi." Roxas grabbed the attention of a red-shirted employee. "I was wondering what was going on here and hoping you could tell me."

The employee flashed a smile and handed Roxas a pen. "Yes, I can tell you! Here at—"

Roxas flinched when the speakers above him blasted microphone feedback before quickly returning his attention to his informant.

"—that we have every quarter. For the summer, we have couples participate in the contest!"

"I'm sorry, what sort of contest is this again? I couldn't hear you the first time," Roxas asked as he leaned closer.

"A couple's challenge for free ice cream for a whole week!"

Roxas zoned out for another ten seconds. "How long?"

"A whole week!" the employee parroted. "Here's a sign-up card if you and your girlfriend here are willing to participate. It may look a little crowded, but we would love for more couples to join in on the fun. There's only fifteen minutes before the festivities begin!"

The assumption made by the employee forced Naminé into the conversation. "Oh, no that's not what this is. I'm not—"

"What my _girlfriend_ meant to say was that we will be _right back_!" Roxas sang as he pulled Naminé away from the table.

She immediately reclaimed her arm from his hold. "What the heck are you doing?" she questioned. "I am _not_ your girlfriend!"

Roxas crossed his arms. "Fine. Will you please be my girlfriend then?"

Naminé gaped. "Are you serious?"

"Dead serious."

"Of course not!" Naminé blurted. "What kind of proposal is that?"

Roxas looked back and forth like the answer was on a wall somewhere. "Er… a serious one? I thought we went over this, so be my girlfriend already."

"You are ridiculous. No, that wasn't serious and no, I won't be your girlfriend! In fact, I'm leaving now." Naminé started to walk by Roxas, but was held back by his hold on her wrist.

"Wait! Please? Come on, hear me out for a second!" Roxas pleaded with puppy eyes.

Naminé growled. When did he learn how to do that? "You have ten seconds."

"No." In an instant, Roxas's demeanor changed completely to one of apathy and calmness. "I have thirty minutes, actually."

"That's how you use your ten seconds? You're not very smart…" Naminé froze when she noticed what the blond was holding in his hand. "My keys! When did you—"

"Unless you plan on walking home, I suggest you sign yourself up as my girlfriend, Naminé." Roxas twirled the keys around his finger, pulling away just before the angry teen across from him could snatch them back. "Tsk tsk! Just for that, you're gonna have to dig in the butt pocket if you want these back." He tucked them into his back pocket and smirked.

"Give them back!"

"Whoa, hon! Not in front of everyone!" Roxas nearly yelled. It was just enough for those around him to assume that the girl was going for a feel. He leaned in close and whispered, "Sorry, Naminé. That's a no-touch zone… unless you're my girlfriend, of course."

"Even if I was, the only thing I'd want to touch your butt with is a hot iron."

"So you could brand me, huh? I didn't know you were so possessive," Roxas retorted with a smirk.

Naminé wanted to wipe that stupid look off his face. She didn't quite understand how he managed to infuriate her so easily. "Are you trying to piss me off? Why are you being so… annoying?"

Roxas blanched as if insulted. "I'm not trying to annoy you and I already asked nicely. And isn't it obvious? Free ice cream for a week, Naminé. That's free sea-salt ice cream for seven days. Seven days of free sea-salt ice cream. Sea-salt—"

"Okay, I get it, I get it!" She waved her hands to stop him. "Why me though? Why can't you ask some random girl to help you out? I don't want to pay, but I'll live without it. Go ask that girl." She pointed across the parlor.

"Why would I do that? Wouldn't you ask a friend to help you out instead of a stranger if you were me?"

Naminé paused as his words sank in. Did he just…?

She was sure that she heard him correctly. He just referred to her as a friend. Did he even realize it? He didn't seem to. Did he really consider them as friends? Since when? She brushed both the question and the strange new feeling aside. "Roxas, what if we get caught?"

He seemed to pick up on the fact that he was winning her over. His eyes gleamed with excitement. "We won't! There is absolutely nothing that those couples can do that we can't fake, I guarantee it. All we have to do is sell it. It's a short challenge, so it's not like we have to act for long!"

Naminé eyed the sign-up card warily. Should she? She was probably going to regret it later. It looked like he really wanted that ice cream though. "I'll help you on one condition." Naminé had to fight down an eye roll— and a smile too— when Roxas's face lit up. "If at any point in the game we are required to kiss, I am out. I am not wasting my first kiss on a guy who isn't my boyfriend. And I'm definitely not having it on a game for free ice cream."

"Deal! So you'll sign up?" Roxas began writing his name and information on the card, unable to contain his excitement.

"One more thing," she added. "I want my keys back." Naminé held her hand out expectantly. It wasn't so much a need to have her belongings; rather, it was a test to see if she could even trust him to trust _her_. Maybe it was a way of seeing if he really thought of her as a friend too.

To her surprise, he didn't hesitate to return them. He just placed them in her hand. There were no further questions or skeptical glances of doubt. "There you go."

Naminé stared at the keys in her hand and smiled. She was tempted to tease him and make a beeline for the door, but something rooted her in place. She only hoped the reason wasn't because of the way he was smiling at her. "Thanks. Now hand over that card. I better get free ice cream out of this too."

* * *

><p>Xion felt partly responsible for separating Riku from his friends, but he insisted that it didn't trouble any of them. It wasn't like she asked them to leave; instead, she completely failed in hiding her true feelings.<p>

She infuriated herself. She couldn't hide like she used to. The sudden change to transparency scared her. If Sora and Kairi could pick up on her thoughts solely through vibe alone, then she was being too obvious. What changed? She had always been able to put up a convincing front.

She watched Riku walk his friends to their car with a frown. She didn't want to make Riku choose between her and Sora and Kairi. She knew how important they were to him. If there was one thing Xion wanted to avoid at all costs, it was the growth of her relationship with Riku at the expense of Sora and Kairi's friendship. She would have to stop stealing him away from them. It wasn't right.

But who else could she go to? She wasn't that close to the rest of her friends. She had Axel, but he was always busy ever since entering the working world. With all that he had to struggle with, she wasn't about to dump her problems on his plate and add the extra stress.

The past few days only made Xion realize how close and dependent she had become on Roxas. He was always there for her when she needed to rant, and he'd even sit through a bashing session when it was about him. It was something she didn't realize until she found herself alone for hours on end. The solitude never bothered her before she met Roxas. She thought she wanted it.

But it hurt when Roxas told her to leave without him. It stung because it was the first time that Roxas picked another person over her. Her feelings transformed to anger; whether it was directed at herself or Naminé, she didn't know. Did she even have a right to be angry? She could have had Roxas all to herself if she never made that stupid wager.

Xion knew what she wanted in the past though. She had Roxas in mind when the idea was born, and she wanted to do something for him— something significant and impactful— to thank him for everything he'd done for her. What better way than to repair a relationship that obviously should have been a friendship? All she wanted was for him to be happy.

The goal was to get Roxas and Naminé to understand each other. It became obvious to her that in the process of gaining that understanding, something started to develop between them. When she thought about it before, Xion didn't think it would bother her in the slightest. It was supposed to be great: she would have not only cleared years of misunderstanding, but she'd also open an entirely new door for Roxas.

Maybe he'd find love before she left. The possibility of seeing Roxas in such a state was so appealing before her own feelings started getting in the way.

Suddenly she hated the idea. The possibility that he was growing closer to another girl disgusted her.

Xion loved him. She loved him as much as she loved her parents and more than any of her other friends. If she had to have a friend at all, it always would have been him. He had become a necessary part of her life and she was powerless to prevent it.

Part of her hoped that Roxas felt the same way, but the other side prayed that he didn't fall victim to it as she did. The fact of the matter was that he didn't have a future with her. If they ever took that next step, Xion knew she'd never forgive herself for trapping Roxas on a path of sadness. She had to make sure that he didn't need her.

And that was the ulterior motive all along.

Xion utterly failed at pushing people away. She tried her best to deny Roxas's friendship, but he ended up winning that fight. All that followed was a string of happy losses. She experienced the very things she wanted to avoid with his friendship. She became attached, and she knew that perhaps to a lesser extent, Roxas had also.

But she couldn't continue. Not with her condition and the inevitable misery it would bring him.

Her last gift to him was also supposed to accomplish a hidden goal: she had to find someone to replace her before she left at the end of summer.

She planned to remove herself from his life without a trace. It would be like tearing off a Band-Aid: she'd hurt him initially, but she hoped her departure would be something that wouldn't leave a lasting impression. Since her plan to avoid friendship failed, it guaranteed that separation would be an unpleasant experience. Thus Xion wanted to at least reduce the sting as much as possible.

Naminé was supposed to take her place as Roxas's friend. The development between them was supposed to sweeten the deal: if on the slim chance that they actually fell for each other, Roxas would definitely have an easier time forgetting the best friend that abruptly left him.

But Xion's feelings contradicted everything she aimed for. She wanted to stay by Roxas's side. She wanted to be selfish and keep him around for as long as possible. Her heart betrayed her rationale and told her that it was better to have Roxas watch as she slowly lost herself. Her feelings seemed to denounce every good thing Xion wanted to do for the person she loved most.

She was paying for it now. The whole ride to Riku's was a mental battle with herself. Did she really want what was best for Roxas? Was she being selfish? If there was one thing she knew, it was that she was stupid. It was the only conclusion with consensus from every part of her.

She hoped Riku could help her. He had to know something she didn't since he handled Sora and Kairi's new relationship remarkably well. If there was someone with an answer, or at least someone to provide a way to deal with her conflicting feelings, Riku would be that person.

Xion shook her head, feeling incredibly disappointed with herself. Who else would she have to depend on? How many more people would she have to bother because she couldn't get her head straight?

"Xion? Are you okay?"

She looked up to see Riku closing his front door. "You didn't have to make them leave, you know," Xion said. "I… I don't want to separate them from you."

"Relax, it's fine—"

"No it's not! The last thing I want to do is screw over your friendship because I can't deal with my own!" Xion yelled. The outburst took them both by surprise. "I-I'm so sorry!"

"Easy there," Riku comforted as he rushed over to join her on the couch. "Xion, whatever you're thinking right now, you can stop. You didn't steal me away from my friends. And even if I don't get to spend a lot of time with them, Sora and Kairi will always be my friends and nothing will change that. Just relax and let me know what's going on."

Xion bit her lip before entwining her fingers with Riku's. "I'm sorry."

"You don't need to apologize for anything. You're my friend too, you know." Riku placed a hand on her back and soothed her with a slow rub.

Xion leaned her head on Riku's shoulder and sobbed. Her attempt to hold back her tears was futile. "How did you do it?" she asked. "How come I can't do the same thing?"

Like any other guy, Riku felt the panic set in when Xion started crying. He shifted uncomfortably. "This is about Roxas, isn't it?"

Xion nodded shamefully and sniffled. "I-I'm sorry. First you have to see Sora and Kairi and now I'm dumping my problems with you."

"You're not going anywhere, actually." Riku pulled Xion by the wrists until she was planted next to him again. "Xion, let me help. Contrary to what you might think, seeing my best friends together doesn't bother me as much. Sure they annoy me sometimes when they make me wait, but I'm happy for them."

"How? That shouldn't be possible! If you really liked Kairi as much as Sora did, then how are you okay with this?" Xion furiously swiped at her tears, her frustration boiling over.

Riku inhaled deeply. Her words stung, but he knew she was saying it out of frustration. He answered calmly, "I guess it's because I always sort of saw it coming." When Xion didn't say anything, he continued. "I liked Kairi a lot, but I also knew Sora did too. Even though I knew that, I didn't immediately back off like you think I did. I did fight for her, you know, even if it was a losing battle."

"I don't understand. I really don't understand how you can see the girl you once liked with another guy."

"It helps that they're my best friends." Riku shrugged. "This isn't about Roxas, is it? It's about Naminé."

Xion grabbed a tissue from the nearby end table and wiped her runny nose. "It's about Roxas."

"It's about Roxas and Naminé then."

Xion closed her eyes and clenched her fists. She didn't want to admit it, but Riku was right. "What am I doing wrong, Riku?"

Riku remained silent for a while. He breathed in slowly before he spoke. "Our situations aren't exactly comparable. I know my best friends, so if I wasn't going to end up with Kairi, she was going to end up with someone I approved. If you think Naminé and Roxas are growing closer, then I don't blame you for being uncomfortable with it."

"Riku, I don't think I should be around Naminé if Roxas is around. I think she knows how I feel about him." Xion buried her face in her hands.

"Is it a stretch to spend some alone time with her then? Get to know her a little better. Or you could—" Riku paused and shook his head. "No, never mind."

"What?" Xion sat up. "What were you going to say?"

"Nothing helpful."

"Any idea of yours would be great right now."

Riku shifted, unsure of whether or not he wanted to say what he was thinking. "My relationship with my friends wasn't the only difference. I also never stopped fighting. I question whether or not that's a good idea though. If anything it opens you up for some really depressing moments."

"What do you mean?" Xion questioned.

"Chasing a girl only to realize your best friend is always ahead of you does a number on your self-esteem, Xion." Riku cleared his throat. "All I'm suggesting is that maybe you should try. It's another thing entirely to watch your best friend drift away without ever taking a chance."

"I don't want to hurt anyone though! None of this was supposed to happen. I wasn't even supposed to have friends, let alone fall for one."

"Then you have to decide on what you really want." Riku stood up. "Sometimes the only way to settle your feelings is to put them in the open."

Xion was left alone in the living room to weigh her options. Just as expected, Riku told her everything she needed to hear. Her choices were clear. She could continue what she was doing, which entailed being miserable. She could try to come to terms with Roxas's new friendship, but that didn't guarantee the end of her own feelings. Her last option was to take the selfish route and fight for her best friend. It was the proverbial all-in.

It didn't take long for one of those ideas to embed itself in her mind. Xion knew deep in her heart which option she wanted to take.

And she hated herself for it.

* * *

><p>Roxas and Naminé stood side by side as the owner of the establishment— who looked like an older version of the red-shirted employee that helped them earlier, leading Roxas to believe that the two were probably related— announced to the other patrons the game that was about to take place. Roxas noticed that many of the patrons were couples themselves who opted not to participate.<p>

He wasn't complaining though. It was their loss for not competing for free ice cream. It was his benefit that they chose to watch too as it meant less competition.

The owner approached both him and his secretly-fake girlfriend. "First up, we have Roxas and Naminé!" The crowd clapped politely upon their introduction. "It looks like you two are our youngest competing couple! Tell me, how long have you two been dating?"

The teens shared a look of pure horror. Out of all the possible ice-breaking questions, of course it'd start with a question that could blow their cover. They made a split second decision, both of them nodding to each other after what was hopefully a telepathic conversation.

They answered at the same time.

"Three years."

"Five months."

Silence.

Roxas clenched his jaw and sent a wide-eyed stare Naminé's way. She glared right back at him. Before the crowd could fully comprehend the strange moment, Roxas did the first thing he could think of to salvage their situation. He brought the microphone closer to him and added sweetly, "And eight days."

A collective "aww" replaced the awkward silence. "Will you look at that? They have it memorized down to the very hour, I bet!" The emcee encouraged the crowd to give them another hand before moving on.

In a fake public display of affection, Roxas pulled his "girlfriend" into a hug. "You are so lucky I can think on my feet," he growled.

Naminé pretended to laugh, lightly patting Roxas's back. "I'm not the one who's breaking the rules for free ice cream!" She parted from him, whispering so only he could hear. "And are you dumb? Three years? So we started dating when we were thirteen? Seems legit to me."

"It was love at first sight," Roxas said with a shrug. "Get over it."

The exchange couldn't have appeared more affectionate.

The moderator introduced four more couples that were most likely real before informing the contestants of the rules. "All right, couples! The rules for this game are as follows: on the open floor before us are one hundred envelopes containing either a number or a blank piece of paper. You and your partner will have one minute to choose up to ten envelopes to collect, and no more than that!

"Now, you are allowed to open the envelopes you pick up! If you pick up a blank, you can throw it away and grab a new one. But be careful! Only half the envelopes even have numbers. Checking every single envelope might only end up wasting time. The numbers you pick up will be chosen lottery-style. The first team to have three numbers called is the winner! That being said, let's bring out the couple's condition of the week!"

One of the servers handed the emcee a manila envelope. He smiled upon reading the contents. "Ladies and gentlemen, it's the blind piggy back ride!"

"Is he serious?" Naminé hissed at her fake boyfriend as the other participants cheered. "Is that even a thing?"

Roxas frowned. "I think so."

"The rules of this condition are as follows: one partner must carry the other at all times. The rider will direct their blindfolded partner toward the envelopes, and only the rider can pick up and open the envelopes! And finally, the only body parts of the riders that can come into contact with the ground are their hands!

"If the rider is dropped, the couple is automatically disqualified! If the rider's feet touch the ground, the couple is disqualified. Put simply, only one pair of hands and one pair of feet may touch the ground. Remember all the rules now! Couples, I ask that you wait outside the shop while we prepare! Use this time to talk it over amongst yourselves as well!"

Roxas and Naminé followed the server in red outside with the other couples. Breaking away from the rest of the pairs, Roxas led Naminé to one of the tables and sat on it.

"Okay, so here's the plan: we collect ten envelopes as fast as possible, you open all of them and get rid of the blanks, and then we collect more. We repeat the process as necessary since we probably won't have time if we check every envelope we pick up. Sound good?"

Naminé laughed. "You're getting a little too into this, Roxas."

"It's free ice cream! Free _sea-salt ice cream!"_

"For the next week, limit one per day," Naminé recited the terms.

"Whatever. Let's just not mess this up." Roxas hopped off the table. "Get on my back."

Naminé recoiled away from him. "W-What?"

"The others are making sure they're doing things properly. Look." Roxas pointed to the competing couples. All of them were making sure their riders weren't touching the ground under any circumstance. "Come on. We have to make sure your feet won't touch the ground."

"Seriously?" Naminé groaned and gingerly wrapped her arms around Roxas's neck. What was she doing? This was supposed to be a quick in and out trip for ice cream, not some contest.

The prospect of free ice cream— something that she wasn't exactly going to die for like Roxas would— somehow placed her on the one back she never thought she'd ever find herself. At least the event was somewhat degrading for the guys. Forced to wear a blindfold while giving a piggyback ride to their girlfriend? That's a surefire formula for exploitable shame and crowd entertainment. That being said, how could she pass up the opportunity to ride Roxas?

Naminé ceased all thinking in an instant. How in the world did her brain arrive at that thought?

"Um, hello?" Roxas turned around, sending her a puzzled glance.

"Huh?"

Roxas pouted. "You're wasting time! Just get on already and let's get this over with!"

"Oh, right." Naminé lifted a leg so he could secure her, only to yelp and shove him away when she felt his hands. "That's my butt, you idiot!"

"Sorry, sorry!" Roxas scratched the back of his head, blushing madly. "I didn't know."

"This better not be your excuse to feel me up," Naminé muttered before climbing on his back. This time, his warm hands ran under her thighs and he held fast without a hitch.

"D-Don't flatter yourself." Roxas adjusted his grip, holding her high enough so that she had completely free arm movement above his shoulders. "Can you see?"

"Yeah." Naminé crinkled her nose before sniffing Roxas's head.

"What are you doing?"

"Your hair smells really girly." She sniffed again. "Is this conditioner? What kind do you use?"

"P-Pay attention!" Roxas growled. He suddenly bent over.

Naminé squealed in surprise. "A little warning next time!"

"Meh, you survived. Can you reach the ground?"

"Just fine." Naminé ran her fingers along the cement floor to make sure. Her feet were far from the ground as well. "This is so not worth the free ice cream."

"Say that after you've won and had it," Roxas grunted as he stood up straight again. "You're… you're kinda choking me."

"Huh? Oh!" Naminé loosened her arms, releasing Roxas from an inadvertent headlock. "Sorry. I'm getting off."

Roxas removed his hands and allowed Naminé to stand. A green-shirted server— he looked identical to the one in red— walked up to them and handed Naminé a blindfold, instructing her to put it on for her boyfriend.

"I almost forgot about that part." Roxas turned around. "Pardon my opinion, but I think you need the ice cream more than I do. Do you even eat?"

"You better not be complaining about how light I am when it'll be the reason why you carry me for so long."

"Oh?"

"Yeah. Pardon _my_ opinion, but I don't think you could lift anything heavier than me with those arms of yours."

"Hey!"

With all the preparations complete, the girls led their respective partners back inside the ice cream shop.

Naminé looked at all the other couples competing against them. "Do I have to hold your hand?"

"We've been dating for three years, five months, and eight days. I think we're over the honeymoon phase," Roxas joked.

Naminé giggled and wrapped her arms around Roxas's neck, hoisting herself onto his back. "I forgot about that part."

"How could you?"

The regular lights inside the parlor were turned off, now replaced by multicolored disco balls and strobe lights. Loud house music blared from the speakers, smothering all outside noise.

Roxas wondered what things were like beyond the blindfold. He never thought he'd find himself in an environment that mixed the smell of waffle cones with club music. He shrugged Naminé higher onto his shoulders. He needed to focus. If he wanted free ice cream, he needed Naminé's help. She could only help him if he did his part too.

"Don't drop me, okay?" Naminé said directly into his ear. Her warm breath on his ear sent a tingle down his spine.

"I won't," he reassured.

"All couples ready?" the owner's voice boomed over the music. "The game begins in three! Two! One!"

"Go!" The spectators yelled.

Naminé didn't waste any time. "Straight. Keep going, keep going…. down, right here!" The blonde collected three nearby envelopes with one hand, anchoring herself to Roxas with the other. "Okay, up and to the left." She led him around twice more before finally reaching ten envelopes.

"Is that ten?" Roxas asked as he readjusted his hold. The extra weight was beginning to take a toll thanks to all the bending and standing.

"I'm opening them now." With all their envelopes in her hands, Naminé struggled to open them.

"Forty-five seconds!"

"Done yet?" Impatience was beginning to settle in his voice.

"I only opened four and three were blanks! My hands are a little full!"

"What are the other couples doing?"

Naminé took a quick peek around, hearing the crowd cheer wildly around one couple. "Oh my gosh. She's tucking the envelopes in his pants."

"Well then do that!"

"I am _not_ stuffing my hand down your pants, Roxas!"

"Free ice cream, Naminé! Free. Ice cream."

"Will you shut—" the blonde was about to yell at her fake boyfriend, but an idea struck her. "No! That's it! Roxas, open your mouth!"

"What?"

"Just do it!"

"Fine!" He obeyed, knowing full well how stupid he looked.

Naminé took all the envelopes and shook them so the paper fell to one side. She then aligned all the empty sides and placed them in Roxas's mouth. "Bite down!" With the envelopes secured between his teeth, Naminé began tearing all the envelopes, ripping them open from the side instead of the top. The spectators laughed and cheered their approval. Of the six envelopes she had to check, three of them were blank. She tucked their numbered papers between her thigh and Roxas's hand.

"You're a genius!" Roxas said after spitting paper from his mouth.

"We need six more!" Naminé directed Roxas once more, quickly replacing the blanks.

"Twenty seconds!"

Naminé repeated their method on the next set. The process went by much faster, but only two of their six new envelopes contained numbers. With ripped envelopes and scattered pieces of paper littering the floor, Naminé had trouble discerning the sealed envelopes from the used ones.

"I won't have time to check all of them," she warned as Roxas bent over again.

"We'll cut our losses," he grunted as he straightened out. As Naminé predicted, time ran out before she could check any.

"Time!" the emcee called as the music lowered. Naminé hopped out of her fake boyfriend's grasp, pulling the blindfold off him. She realized he was breathing heavily, most likely from having to bend over with the added weight so many times.

Naminé giggled. He really wanted that free ice cream.

"Now, if all of you would open any remaining envelopes, we'll get started!" As the emcee gathered the younger kids that would be picking numbers from a hat, Naminé and Roxas opened their remaining envelopes. Of the four they grabbed before time ended, three had numbers.

"Only one was blank!" Roxas said giddily.

"Calm down. We don't even know if we even won anything." Naminé looked at their nine numbers, taking four of them and handing Roxas the other five.

One by one, the kids that pulled the numbers read them into the microphone. Nearly every number called got a reaction from one of the couples. Roxas cheered obnoxiously when two of their numbers were called in a row, but his enthusiasm turned into anxiety when three more numbers were called. With only one number needed, Roxas closed his eyes and began to bounce in place.

"Please let us win, please let us win…"

It took all of Naminé's effort to keep from laughing. The possibility of free ice cream made Roxas emulate his brother in the most embarrassing manner possible.

"And the last number, little lady?" The emcee held the microphone close to the little girl's lips.

"Thirteen," she timidly spoke.

Naminé looked down at one of the numbers in her hand. Thirteen was one of them.

They won.

"We won…" Naminé mumbled in disbelief as she showed Roxas the third number. "We won!"

"We won!" Roxas repeated ecstatically. He held up their numbers, jumping like a child who just received the best present in the world.

"Eight, fourteen, thirteen," the owner confirmed. "What do you know? We have a winner!"

The other couples and the crowd politely cheered for the winning couple. Roxas pulled Naminé along by the hand to accept their prize.

"Here you go!" A blue-shirted server—one who looked exactly like the one in red and the other in green— handed each of them a paper card.

"Congratulations to the winners of this quarter's Couple's Challenge! I suppose we should have seen it coming! The longest-dating couple is expected to have the best chemistry after all!" The moderator offered the pair the microphone. "You've got quite the lady there!"

Roxas laughed, sheepishly scratching the back of his head. "Yeah, she always finds a way to put my mouth to good use." As soon as the words left his mouth, the crowd erupted in laughter. "Wait—"

Naminé slapped her forehead.

"Whoa there, young man! This is a PG-13 event!" the owner joked, fueling the crowd's merriment. "Thanks to all the couples who participated in this month's challenge! To show our gratitude, please accept this coupon for discounted ice cream on your next visit!"

As the event reached its end, the winning pair claimed their first taste of free ice cream. Per usual, Roxas ordered his sea salt ice cream next to Naminé's cookie dough.

"Oh! Don't forget your pictures!" the green-shirted server handed them two Polaroid photographs.

Naminé bubbled with laughter. The first picture was captured during the game. Roxas held his partner securely on his back, biting down on a few envelopes. Naminé was caught in the process of checking an envelope's content, her face painted with anticipation and curiosity. "This looks absolutely ridiculous!"

Roxas couldn't help but smile as he looked over the second photo. Someone managed to capture the very moment he and Naminé realized they won. They were staring at each other with wide eyes, mouths agape in total disbelief. The photographer decided to caption the photo along the white portion with the words "Three years, five months, and eight days" written neatly in permanent marker.

They looked just like a real couple.

"You know, you were actually right about this." Naminé caught Roxas's attention as she ate another spoonful of cookie dough ice cream. "Pretending to be a couple was definitely worth the free ice cream."

Roxas felt his heart skip. "Y-Yeah," he stuttered. "It tastes better when it's free." He followed Naminé outside, sitting on the table from before.

As he relished the salty sweetness of his icy treat, Roxas lost himself to his thoughts. He had forgotten that they pretended to be together to enter the contest in the first place.

Curiously enough, the thought disappointed him.

"That was more fun than I thought," Naminé sounded as if the event occurred a long time ago. "We make a half-decent team, huh?"

Roxas grinned. "Guess we do." He looked at Naminé's ice cream. "You should really try sea salt ice cream."

Naminé looked at her own dessert before looking at the one in Roxas's hand. "Maybe I will. I have free ice cream every day for the next week. That's plenty opportunity to try it."

"Good." Clearly satisfied, Roxas sighed happily. "Maybe you'll be able to work on your parallel parking while we're at it."

"Oh be quiet."

True to Naminé's order, Roxas allowed himself to soak up the comfortable silence. The sun was just beginning its slow fall, casting long and tall shadows from the west. He glanced over at Naminé. She seemed to watch the cars drive by, a serene smile gracing her face. His eyes flicked to her hands and delicate fingers wrapped around the spoon she used to absentmindedly play with her melting ice cream. He returned to her face. In her eyes was an honest reflection of who she was at that very moment: a content, carefree, and comfortable girl.

She looked absolutely gorgeous.

Roxas broke his gaze. He could feel his lips curling into a smile. His heart pounded hard in his chest. For the first time, he could admit to himself that his attraction to Naminé didn't bother him anymore. Instead, it made him feel giddy inside. Everything was lighter. It made him feel happy.

He didn't quite understand her yet. He couldn't say he knew the reason why she actually helped him after he forced her into the contest with him. Despite all of it, she worked with him. He didn't have to come up with reasons why they weren't friends anymore. He didn't have to lie to himself and rationalize a list of reasons to spend time with her.

She was his friend.

Roxas felt a pair of eyes focused on him, so he looked over to meet them. Slowly, as if they were looking into a mirror, the teens smiled at each other before breaking into a laughing fit.

Sheer proximity alone brought the smiles to their faces. They laughed without words, just as friends did when an inside joke passed between them. They laughed because they could, like they had years to make up for of missed opportunities and adventures.

"You ready to go back home?"

Roxas breathed in deeply, tapping his chin thoughtfully. "I'm ready when you are," he sent a sideways glance her way, "but I wouldn't mind spending a little more time here."

Naminé stood up from the bench of the table. Roxas watched her walk away, feeling a well of disappointment gush forth and wondering if she actually wanted to leave. But she surprised him by going to the trashcan and returning to the table. The letdown he experienced earlier dissipated as she got closer and closer.

Instead of dropping back into her seat, she motioned for Roxas to move over. "Excuse me."

"So do you have something against table benches, or do you always sit on the table like you're the only one here?" he asked while sliding over.

"Don't you get it?" Naminé giggled upon hearing her old words. "You're supposed to sit next to your friends at the table… or on it, if that applies."

Roxas snickered and scratched his nose. "Of course. Forgive me for forgetting."

Naminé flashed him a smile and settled herself next to him. "Consider yourself officially forgiven."

* * *

><p><strong>Redeeming Endeavor: <strong>Thanks to those of you who subscribed or added LPA to your favorites!

To** Handwritten, Ash09, elspoek1, Draco Oblivion, li'miss sunshine, Burai Stelar, Versivalia, Tenshi Yami- Angel of Darkness, chibixbabe, Kiome-Yasha, Hegodart, TwinToshiro, Squishy Moogle, Gear001, Happy Reader, Dramamamapwnsall, Pili1995, GreyPurpleBlack, KurukiXV, Aaralynne, Allied Forces, Muledragon, Xai, 18summer, Brown Eyed Sage, namiroku, Lulu, Kingdom13, knight, Rescued-Doll, zestycrouton, Lil Leif, spadejackspade, ineedmoreaffectionthenyouknow, Xantaxa539, Sw1ft Blad3, Roxanime, abidethestance, Claymore Person, EnterAbyss2991, ThatGuyFromThatPlace21,** and **Spanish Girl,** thanks so much for your legitimate[LY AWESOME] input.

Chapter Data- Total Editing Time: 491 minutes. Word Count: 8,179.

Harmless Author Fact #18: If I had a superpower/ability and could only choose one, it'd be telekinesis (not to be confused with telepathy). I always thought it was the best power ever.

Take care, readers. I'll see you around!


	19. The Pull II

Chapter 19: The Pull II

"Naminé?" Kairi lightly knocked on the locked door to her sister's studio. "I'm coming in, okay?" She pushed the door open and squinted. The sun filled the predominantly white room with a nearly blinding light. The drastic change was enough to sting Kairi's eyes. "Wow."

"Did you just wake up?" Naminé asked with a bemused tone.

It was a question adequately answered with a tired and haggard appearance. "How long have you been up? It's so early." Kairi made her way to the window and leaned against the wall next to it. It was the only place in the room where the light wasn't frying her eyes out.

"I don't know. I just had a good night of sleep, I guess. I woke up and I just had to paint something." Naminé indicated her covered easel with her head.

Kairi nodded. Her twin was very private about her works in progress. Kairi never quite understood that thing about unfinished projects that made them worth hiding from curious eyes before completion. "How long have you been working?"

"Only an hour."

"Do you want me to leave?"

"I don't mind you being here. You actually caught me just before I refilled my paints." Naminé appeared to examine her sister. "Is that your shirt?"

Kairi looked down at her clothes and sighed. She forgot she was wearing it. She braced herself for a speech and answered, "No, it's Sora's."

"So scandalous! How late did he stay last night?" Naminé asked coyly.

The question took Kairi by surprise. No judgmental look? No disappointing sigh? "I took him home around one in the morning last night," Kairi answered cautiously. She warily eyed her humming sister. "Is everything okay? You're really… chipper today."

Naminé threw her closet door open. Extra supplies and unfinished easels rested against the wall of the makeshift storage room. "I'm feeling great today for some reason. It's just one of those days, you know? I even woke up smiling." She dragged out an old bean bag. "Here. If you're staying for a while, at least make yourself comfortable."

Kairi thanked her sister and made herself comfortable in the corner. "Is your mood related to your late arrival last night?"

"First of all, ten at night is not late. And second, why must you assume that I can't be happy unless it involves a boy?"

"I didn't mean that!" Kairi quickly backpedaled. Happy Naminé apparently did not equate to a different person. "I was just wondering, that's all. You're normally sour when it comes to Roxas."

"I'm kidding." Naminé opened her sketchpad on her lap and smiled. Her hand trailed across the paper as she spoke. "To be honest, it _might_ have something to do with that."

Again, Kairi found her interest piqued. "What? Seriously?"

"Try not to twist my words on this one, but it turns out Roxas isn't the guy I thought he was." Naminé quietly sketched an image only she could see, focusing her complete attention on the task. "Have you ever found yourself pleasantly surprised like that?"

Kairi smirked. "Can't say I have. In fact, you've criticized me for being too trusting and assuming the best."

Naminé rolled her eyes. "Well I'm not wrong! I find it hard to believe that everyone is actually projecting their real self."

"Apparently there's some merit in that," Kairi joked.

Naminé smiled. "Shut up." The blonde continued to sketch, occasionally looking at her twin. "I never thought I'd say this, but Roxas isn't a total jerk after all. Don't—"

"I knew this day would come!" Kairi cheered. "I told you that you'd change your mind when you got older!"

"That doesn't make your ten-year-old self prophetic. It just makes you lucky," Naminé shot back.

"So what changed?" Kairi turned herself over on the bean bag and leaned forward. "Did you go on a date? Go for a walk on the beach? Kiss under the moonlight?" Kairi waggled her eyebrows suggestively.

"None of the above. Actually, he embarrassed me in front of everyone by making me parallel park. Romantic, right?" Naminé didn't wait for an answer. "He turned out to be more similar to Sora than I thought. He turned into a little kid over free ice cream!"

"You either complimented Sora's personality or made fun of it and I can't decide whether or not I should be offended." Kairi laughed as she adjusted her sitting position once more. "You also got ice cream with Roxas. Was it a date?"

"You know I like Sora and his lovable personality. He's cuter too. And no, it wasn't a date." Naminé dropped her pencil and erased something, occasionally looking up at her sister. "I had to pick him up, he made me practice my driving, and the ice cream parlor just happened to be nearby."

Kairi raised a brow. "You actually think Sora is cuter than Roxas?"

"I never said anything about Roxas."

"Then you were talking about…?" Kairi hung the question with a teasing smile.

Naminé stopped working and slowly answered. "Not… Roxas?"

"Exactly. It was Roxas," Kairi said with finality. "Who else would you be comparing Sora to? Let's be honest: you made a conscious decision not to make a clear comparison because you thought I wouldn't pick up on it."

Naminé grinned upon hearing her twin's analysis and resumed drawing. "You think you know it all, don't you?"

"I do," Kairi said cheekily.

"Let's make it clear that Sora is better-looking and has a better personality than his Roxas. Sora isn't nearly as moody or frustrating."

Kairi propped her head on her hand. "I don't think Roxas is annoying. He's a little broody, but I think he just takes things more seriously than Sora. He's got this air of maturity, I think."

"That's because you only _saw_ the way he used to act and never felt the brunt of it. I've seen the sides of Roxas you haven't."

"Yeah, I bet you have," Kairi teased. She was forced to dodge an eraser aimed at her face. "I'm kidding. And should I be worried that you find my boyfriend more attractive than yours?"

Naminé deadpanned. "Very funny. And yeah, you should be extremely worried. I've made it my mission to steal Sora away from you. I'll just convince him that it was always 'Sora, Naminé, and Riku' when we were younger. From that, I'd tell him the girl he actually fell for was me. It shouldn't be too difficult considering he isn't the brightest crayon in the box."

"Yeah, I'm working on that," Kairi said with a sigh. A second later the twins found themselves laughing. It wasn't a real knock on Kairi's boyfriend, but it also wasn't without base. Sora gave them plenty of reason to laugh at his expense.

"All jokes aside, I think Sora's awesome. And I already said that part of the reason why I've changed my view of Roxas is because he's similar to his brother in more ways than I thought." Naminé folded her hands on her sketchpad. "Also, he's head over heels for you. I bet he's whipped."

"I really really hope you find a boy you like one day." Kairi crossed her arms and gave her sister a knowing look. "You'll realize how little control you have, mostly because you'll feel guilty and because there are lots of fun things to do instead." Kairi smiled to herself. "It's funny. We were actually just talking about this last night. It's a little too easy to get hooked on those things."

"You know you have to tell me now, right?" Naminé folded her legs under herself and threw her hair over her shoulder, something she used to do a lot when Kairi ranted about boys last year.

Kairi sat up and inhaled slowly. "It wasn't anything special, really. We just talked about the future. And earlier when we were at Riku's, I sorta made a comment about how we don't hang out with our other friends as much. Like, we were turning into one of those couples who disappear and ditch the rest of their friends."

"Did he think so too?" Naminé asked.

"I don't think so. He didn't look offended though." Kairi began to curl her hair around her fingers, a recognizable sign that she was torn about something. "He said he'd be happy as long as we hung out, but I know he'd rather it just be us."

"I think he's just being a bit of a baby. I mean if he knows that we're leaving in three weeks, then he—" Naminé stopped when she saw the guilt pass through Kairi's face. "You didn't tell him, did you?"

"We don't know for _sure_—"

"Kairi!" The disapproving tone from the younger twin finally made its appearance. "You're not going to convince either of our parents to stay for an extra week. Dad said we're not staying the whole summer and already bought our plane tickets. It's not debatable."

"What are we going to do for two weeks at home? It doesn't take that long to get school supplies and finish summer homework!"

Naminé frowned. "Well don't get mad at me. I don't really wanna leave either."

"Right," Kairi shook her head. "Sorry, I just… I don't want to think about it. We only have twenty days left. I hate the thought of leaving Sora and Riku so soon."

"Well it's not like you haven't been able to hang out! You three get together like every other day, and it feels like Sora's always around." Naminé's shoulders sank. "Kairi, quit moping."

Kairi continued to play with a fold of the bean bag, a pout stubbornly etched on her face. "No. I have a right to sulk and whine. This sucks."

"Well then let's talk about something less depressing! I woke up happy this morning and I'm counting on that to last all day." Naminé jumped out of her seat and pushed Kairi aside to make room for herself on the bean bag. "Come on, a little space for your sister please!"

Kairi grudgingly moved over, but remained prone with her back facing up. Naminé shook her and sat upright—first on Kairi's back— before moving into the space her sister gave her.

"Kai, turn that frown upside down!" Naminé chanted.

"Fine." Kairi turned herself over and lay on her back. "Happy?"

"You're so clever." Naminé jabbed Kairi's sides with her fingers until she got a few reluctant giggles from her twin. "Isn't being happy so much more fun?"

"It's hard to be happy when you know you have to leave your best friends in less than a month," Kairi drawled.

"Let's talk about your hot boyfriend then. There's a happy thought."

"You think he's hot? I thought you said he was cute."

"He's both, but more cute than hot. Riku's the opposite."

"Roxas too."

"Yup. No!" Naminé quickly corrected. "We're talking about your boyfriend."

"Can't we talk about the hotter twin?" Kairi asked teasingly.

"No. And that's a no because there is no 'hotter twin', not because I don't want to talk about him. I mean Roxas. I mean I don't want to talk about Roxas, but it's not because he's the hotter one." Naminé paused. She was almost sure she made absolutely no sense whatsoever. She probably didn't say anything convincing either. Still, she found a reason to smile. Her sister ditched her depressive state in favor of a giggle attack after the flustered explanation. "Kairi, let's talk about Sora. Is he really as good as everyone made him seem?"

Kairi bit her lip to keep herself from laughing. "To be honest, he's not that great."

Naminé's eyes widened. "Seriously? That's so disappointing after all that build up!"

"You believed me?" Kairi looked at Naminé like she'd lost her mind. "Nam, you don't even understand, and I hope you never do. It's unreal."

"So is that a yes?"

"If he was your first kiss, then everyone who might follow him would be like kissing a slug."

"Kairi, that's disgusting."

"It's true!" Kairi covered her face. "Remember those guys I dated before? They don't even compare. I almost can't believe how different it is. And honestly, it scares me. Is he that good because he kissed so many girls, or is it just because he's a natural?"

"I really hope it's the latter— for your sake," Naminé added. "What's the difference? I'm sorta jealous now."

"I may or may not have analyzed his technique," Kairi explained as she sat up, "but I think he just knows when to make adjustments."

"Eew!" Naminé made a face, getting a laugh out of Kairi.

"You asked! He knows when to speed up, slow down, and when to back off a bit. There's also never any tongue."

"Oh— why did— ugh! No! I changed my mind! No more!" Naminé covered her ears as Kairi continued to list several reasons why Sora made a great kissing partner. "I can't hear anything!"

"Don't be such a baby." Kairi pulled Naminé's hands from her ears. "You'll discover what you like when you start kissing those icky boys too. And when you do, just know that my boyfriend does it better."

"Wow. I really can't wait now."

"But seriously. He's also really good with his hands. Not awkward with them at all." Kairi leapt to her feet and ran to the other side of the room to escape her sister's clutches.

"Okay! I've heard enough. Thank you."

Kairi smiled and leaned against the doorframe. "Thanks for cheering me up. I know that was your plan all along."

"I honestly could've done without the dirty details, but you're welcome." Naminé stood and began to collect her dirty brushes. "I've actually been curious about your relationship anyway."

"You know you can ask me anything, right? We're best friends too, not just siblings."

"I know. But if you keep dumping those details like that, then I don't think I'll ever ask again," Naminé joked. She then abruptly stopped in her tracks and stared at Kairi. "Do you have anything planned today?"

"Not until tonight. Is something wrong?" Kairi asked.

"Let's bake today, just like we used to with Mom when we lived here," Naminé declared. "We can bond and play on that cool baby website like we used to. Sound good?"

Kairi grinned from ear to ear. "That sounds like an awesome idea. Grocery shopping in twenty?"

Naminé nodded, rushing by Kairi with her dirty equipment in her arms. "I'll make the list!"

Kairi made her way to her room to freshen up. Perhaps her insecurities regarding her sister were unfounded. Kairi felt like they restored a waning connection, and perhaps Naminé's light mood helped that happen. Kairi also knew that her relationship with Sora was a genuine topic of interest. She knew her sister. Naminé wouldn't ask to spend more time together unless she wanted to talk to someone.

Behind all those grimaces and shudders, Kairi knew that her sister wouldn't mind hearing more. It was such an unbelievable rush of comfort for Kairi. She itched to tell stories. She wanted her best friend back, judgmental or not. It just so happened that Naminé was even more receptive.

It may have been biased on her part, but Kairi resolved to thank Roxas later. Something really gave her the feeling that Naminé's mood was largely the result of whatever happened between her and Roxas the previous day. Kairi couldn't wipe the smug look off her face. She always thought the two could get along. Not only that, but she thought they liked each other too. And if that was the case, Kairi couldn't be happier.

It meant she was right all along.

* * *

><p>Why was today so awesome?<p>

Maybe it was the weather. Naminé loved it when it was breezy on a warm day. There weren't quite as many clouds as she would have liked, but it had to be one of the better days since she and Kairi came to vacation on the islands. They had been vacationing for about two months, and undoubtedly this was the best day so far.

Naminé ate another spoonful of cookie dough. Was it the smell of freshly baked pies? The blast from the past probably invoked some fond memories. She remembered all the times of her childhood when she, Kairi, and her mother would all visit the farmer's market, pick the freshest fruits, and bake them in bready perfection. Even if it was only with her sister this time, the fact that they employed every little tip and trick their mother told them made it seem just like old times.

And just like old times, Kairi was awful at it. From her wasteful cutting to her complete ineptitude to evenly cover a tray with pie dough, Naminé found herself doing most of the work. Kairi resigned to mixing, but only after Naminé had carefully measured all the correct ingredients.

It was a great bonding experience though. Naminé learned a lot about her sister's relationships, enough to make her face grow warm with embarrassment. To think that someone like Sora did what he did truly surprised her. She always thought of him as a rather innocent boy, but apparently Kairi knew how to drive him crazy. Naminé wondered why Kairi said she never felt she had total control. It sure sounded like she dictated the pace of everything.

Of course, there were a few things that made Naminé anxious. Rather than giving into the urge of preachy advice, Naminé nodded and asked questions instead. She knew she had no right to tell her sister how to properly live her relationship. She also didn't have one of her own. It was something Naminé thought she was improving: when she placed herself in Kairi's position, her advice would seem worthless. It'd be similar to Kairi telling Naminé about different drawing techniques without ever having drawn before.

It all came down to trust, and Naminé trusted her twin. Kairi was old enough to make her own decisions. It helped that Sora was a good guy too.

"Nam, we're using your picture with Riku's now!" Kairi called from the living room.

"Go for it!" Naminé replied from the kitchen. She ate another spoonful of cookie dough as she dried the dishes.

"You're going to miss the birth of our baby? I'm hurt, Naminé!" Riku whined.

Naminé rolled her eyes and smiled at the trio huddled around Kairi's laptop. For the past hour, Kairi and her friends had been toying around on a website that predicted a baby's appearance based on the combination of two "parent" pictures. Naminé participated for a while until the pies finished. "Riku, something tells me you're not truly hurt if you had a baby with nine different… er, things. Heck, you had a baby with _Sora_."

"Hey, our baby was beautiful!" Sora said defensively.

"That he was," Naminé agreed, "but so were most of Riku's children. That being said, I bet ours will be better." The doorbell then rang, but no one on the couch made a move for the door. "Any of you expecting someone else?"

"Nope!" Kairi replied without looking up.

Naminé laughed. "Well don't move all at once. I'll get the door, I guess." With her cookie dough in hand, Naminé made her way to the door. She opened it as soon as she recognized the person standing outside. "Hi!" she greeted with a wide smile. "I didn't know you were coming by!"

"Sora didn't—"

"Oh! Naminé, I forgot to tell you that Roxas said he'd be coming over soon!" Sora yelled from the couch.

"I think she sees that, Sora." Roxas stepped inside and greeted everyone in the living room. He then turned around and sighed. "You guys can leave now!"

Naminé peered over Roxas's shoulder and waved. "Is that Axel and Xion?"

Roxas was quick to answer. "No."

"Hi Naminé!" Xion yelled from the car.

"Good-bye!" Roxas snapped before pulling the door shut. "So annoying…"

"That wasn't very nice," Naminé said disapprovingly. "Do you treat all your friends like that?"

Roxas smirked. "You tell me."

Naminé wanted to retort, but she felt three burning stares coming from the living room. The trio held firm even when Naminé made eye contact. "What?"

All three broke their stares and looked at each other. "Should we?" Kairi asked both Riku and Sora.

"I honestly can't believe we didn't think of it before," Sora said with a shrug.

"Do it. I wanna see," Riku urged excitedly.

Naminé quirked a brow. "Anyone wanna let me in on whatever you guys are discussing or…?"

"Don't mind us!" Kairi shooed. "Go check on the pies."

"Pies? Is that why it smells so good in here?" Roxas asked. He followed Naminé to the kitchen. "I thought you were baking cookies."

"Pfft, no. What made you think that?" Naminé asked after eating another spoonful of dough. "Oh. This."

Roxas looked at Naminé with disbelief. "That container is half-full. Please tell me you at least made one batch."

"And if I didn't?" Naminé asked with a sheepish smile. She frowned immediately when Roxas snatched the cookie dough. "Hey!"

"You do realize how unhealthy this is, right? And you ate _this_ _much?_"

"It's good. What's wrong with a little snack?"

"Yes, what could possibly go wrong when you eat a massive amount of raw cookie dough?" Roxas rolled his eyes and threw the container in the fridge.

Naminé crossed her arms. "The first thing you do when I let you in is take my food. Are you out to ruin my day or something?"

"More like saving your life. Are you _trying_ to get a stomach ache?" Roxas asked with a smirk.

"I'll have you know I have a tummy of steel," Naminé bragged. Her whole body jerked when Roxas poked her abdomen. "Hey!"

"Right. Steel." Before anything more could be said, Kairi shrieked from the living room. Roxas and Naminé ran over. "What's wrong?" Roxas asked.

All three teens were staring at the computer screen, completely taken aback. "This… no way. This thing is broken," Riku declared.

"I… I _must_ have this. I _need_ this in my life," Kairi whispered to Sora with pained desperation.

"Holy sweet cinnamon rolls wrapped in candy bacon…" Sora said as he locked his gaze on the screen. He broke away and saw everyone staring at him weirdly. "What?"

Naminé began to walk over. "What is—"

"Don't come any closer!" Kairi ordered with an authoritative finger pointed at her sister. "Get back! Both of you!"

Roxas flinched. He took a few steps backward with his hands raised. "Er, sorry. I thought there was trouble."

Naminé was obviously unconvinced and stood her ground. "Kairi, are you guys still on that stupid website?"

"It's not stupid! It is a great domain that yields images of beautiful future children!"

Riku gingerly placed his hand on Kairi's shoulder. "That's a bit of a stretch, Kairi."

"What's going on?"

"Nothing." Naminé rolled her eyes. She waved for Roxas to follow her to the kitchen. "Come on. Let Kairi play and don't worry about it."

"Mind explaining what that was all about?" Roxas pointed in the opposite direction.

"They've been on that website all day. It basically makes a baby picture based on the combination of two 'parent' photos. Kairi and I used it when we were younger."

"Why?"

"To see what our babies would look like if we married a celebrity. Why else?" Naminé shrugged as if the answer was obvious. "Some of them have been pretty funny at least. Riku's babies were all extremely beautiful."

"Why does every girl think he's hot?" Roxas asked.

"Because he is. Is that jealousy I hear in your voice?" Naminé teased.

"Of course not," Roxas replied quickly. "Besides, I wouldn't want anything to do with a girl who'd date a guy based solely on looks."

"Who said his physical appearance was his only upside?" Naminé took a step closer and tapped Roxas on the chest. "And who said anything about wanting to date him? That's envy I smell, I'm sure of it!" She laughed when Roxas's face went red and allowed him to distance himself. "Hey, not all of Riku's offspring were beautiful. We had to make sure the simulator was working correctly, so we paired him with a picture of a horse."

"A horse?" Roxas asked incredulously.

"Yes. Needless to say, it was a train wreck. A relieving train wreck at that." Naminé seemed to ponder her words. "Though I don't suppose that does you any comfort, knowing that the only way to get an ugly Riku baby is to pair him with a non-human being."

"Who said I needed comfort? I'm not jealous of anything!" Roxas defended.

"Your face says otherwise," Naminé sang with a giggle.

Roxas pinched the bridge of his nose. "Did you wake up today with the goal of being annoying?"

"No, I woke up with the intent to have fun. I've been having a great day so far, and it just so happens that annoying you is also fun." Naminé slid into a chair at the table, admiring the pies that sat in a row. "What did you do with your day? Was it at least half as awesome as mine?"

"I was with Axel and Xion the whole day. Make of that what you will." Roxas sat at the table and pulled one of the pies closer. "Is this what you did the whole day? Make pies?"

"Yup. Kairi and I used to do it a lot more with our mother when we were younger. I ended up doing most of the work since Kairi's an awful cook, but I got some juicy— albeit sour— details about Sora. Apparently he's as good a kisser as everyone made him seem."

Roxas shook his head. "I can't believe you two talk so casually about that stuff."

"About what?"

"Us."

Naminé smirked. "Who said you were included?"

"I meant all your guy friends," Roxas quickly clarified with a blush. "First you went on about Riku, and now you tell me you and your sister talked about my brother."

"I don't see the problem. I think we can approach the subject lightly because we've known them for such a long time. I know I'll never be able to date anyone in the group seriously."

"That didn't really stop Kairi."

"But Kairi has always liked Sora. It was only a matter of time before she realized what kind of 'like' she was feeling." Naminé crossed her legs and tucked her hair behind her ear. "I would never be able to date any of the guys. I've known them for a long time, and I suppose that's why I'm comfortable complimenting them. They're not about to come onto me or read into the things I say, you know?"

"So it's almost a brotherly relationship?"

"I guess. I've never had a brother, so maybe this is the closest thing to it. I figure I'd be able to tell my brother that he's cute and would make beautiful babies with everyone except a horse, right?"

"Yeah…" Roxas answered hollowly. "You know, we've known each other for a long time too."

"Yes we have. Your point being…?" Naminé asked. She felt as if she were missing something.

Maybe Roxas was just being weird. He creased his brow before shaking his head. "Never mind. I don't know where I was going with that either."

"…Okay!" Naminé shrugged. She wouldn't bother herself with it. "So why exactly did you swing by? I assume your original plan wasn't to question me."

The change of subject seemed to snap Roxas out of whatever he was thinking about. "Oh! You ready to get our free ice cream for today?"

Naminé laughed loudly. "You can't get it alone?"

"I can, but I figured you wanted ice cream too. It's also another opportunity to utterly fail at parallel parking, if you're up to the challenge," Roxas teased.

"What time do you want to go?"

"The sooner we get it, the better."

That settled it. While Roxas retrieved his car keys from his brother, Naminé went straight to her room. As she gathered her belongings, something slipped from her wristlet and slowly fell to the floor. Naminé picked it up and smiled. It was one of the photos from the previous night. Prompted to look for the other one, Naminé compared the two and settled with the one that captured her on Roxas's back. She decided that Roxas should have the other. He deserved it after coming up with the save that allowed them to compete.

Naminé tucked Roxas's photo in her wristlet and displayed the other on her mirror. It was a shame that neither caught Roxas smiling. He'd not only appear happier, but he'd be just as popular with the ladies as his brother. Though, she probably wouldn't have been the one to win free ice cream with him were that the case.

A knock at the door got her attention. "I'm coming," she called over her shoulder.

"I'll grant you some mercy and pass that opportunity up." To Naminé's surprise, it was Kairi who answered. "So you and Roxas are going out?"

"We are getting ice cream," Naminé nodded. She ignored her sister's play on words. "Make sure Riku and Sora take home their pies."

"I will. Are you sure you don't want to leave with me and Sora tonight? You're gonna miss out!" Kairi sang.

"I'd rather not be the third wheel, thanks."

"Fine. But can I show you something before you leave?" Kairi presented the tablet she was holding behind her back.

Naminé took the iPad and gasped. Was this the image that spurred the outburst from earlier? It had to be. Never before had Naminé seen such a beautiful, perfect, and ridiculously adorable baby. A small messy tuft of blonde hair sat on the smiling baby's head, and the lightest blue eyes shined with happiness. The baby would have been perfect for any photography studio. The little baby was all sorts of perfect, so perfectly cute and so perfectly… edible!

Naminé gushed. She wanted to eat the baby up! Not in the cannibalistic way, but rather the overzealous expression of extreme affection. "Oh. My. Goodness."

"Is that not the cutest baby you have ever seen?" Kairi jumped in excitement. "I have to have him, Naminé. I _need_ him."

"This baby is… I don't even…" Naminé handed the tablet over and covered her eyes. "I can't. If I find out where that baby is, I might just kidnap him."

"Funny you mention that, actually. He's your baby, after all." Kairi allowed her gaze to linger a bit before turning off the screen. "Well, yours and Roxas's."

"You lie!" Naminé accused. That beautiful being came from combining her picture with Roxas's? The thought alone was crazy enough to make Naminé laugh.

"I'm dead serious. You saw him, Nam. That baby is fucking beautiful." Kairi opened the door to the room and stepped out. "Do me a favor and seduce Roxas, 'kay? We'll figure everything else out later, just as long as I get this adorable little nephew," Kairi joked.

Naminé nodded and went along with her sister. "You can count on me, Kai. I'll find a way to get in Roxas's pants."

"H-Huh?"

The surprised squeak from Roxas made both girls burst out in laughter. Instead of explaining their words, Naminé closed the distance between her and Roxas and pinned him against the wall. She pressed her finger to his chest and smiled seductively.

"Hey you," Naminé greeted suggestively, "I think we've wasted enough time. Why don't we forget about the ice cream and start making a baby?"

While Roxas turned into a stuttering hot mess, Kairi and Naminé broke down even further. Their laughing fit caught the attention of the other boys, who ran over when they saw Kairi on the floor. While Sora helped his girlfriend up, Riku gently pulled Naminé from Roxas. The giggling blonde nearly collapsed in his arms, unable to contain herself.

"Roxas, what the heck is going on?" Sora picked up Kairi, holding most of her weight while she howled in laughter.

Like a fish out of water, Roxas's mouth opened repeatedly as he tried to form an explanation. "I-I was… she was really close… I-I don't… they were doing something and said… I—"

Riku groaned. "I don't understand a damn thing you're trying to say."

"Aww, leave him alone!" Kairi said between gasps of air. "Nam and I were just kidding around! Give me a minute!"

"Must have been some joke," Sora scoffed. "You were on the floor!"

"It was a great joke! I asked Roxas to help me make a baby, but I think he declined," Naminé said. She thanked Riku for keeping her on her feet. "Relax, boys. Kairi and I just had one of our moments. We're fine!"

"Sorry about that, Roxas!" Kairi patted the boy's shoulder. "But seriously, you and Nam would make a killer baby."

Riku threw his arms up. "Are you serious? That's what this was about?"

"You're just jealous!" Kairi called. "You're bitter because the most beautiful baby made tonight wasn't yours!"

"I'm not jealous!" Riku covered his ears and walked away. Kairi quickly followed him, pulling Sora along by the hand.

As he passed the blondes, he smirked, pointing to his eyes before turning it on them. In return, Naminé flicked her wrist and made a whipping sound. She smiled victoriously when Sora resorted to a childish rebuttal and stuck his tongue out. She then turned to Roxas and fixed her hair. "Sorry about that. Are you all right?"

Roxas blinked slowly before nodding vigorously. "Y-Yeah. I'm fine."

"I'm guessing that was a bit surprising. I didn't actually plan to use you in the joke, but you were in the area," Naminé explained.

"Joke?" Roxas asked. His eyebrows rose as he finished processing the recent event. "Oh, right! The joke. The baby-making one. I mean the baby picture thing. Right."

Naminé paused to examine Roxas more closely. Did she hurt him? He was still plastered against the wall. She didn't think she pushed him that hard, but maybe she got carried away. His face was also tinged with a blush. "Are you sure you're okay? You don't look so well."

Whatever she said seemed to do the trick. Roxas pushed himself from the wall and reassured her that he was fine. Before they left, Naminé called her sister over one more time. Despite Naminé telling Roxas to meet her in the car, he waited at the door until Naminé finished talking with her sister. They left right after.

Even though Roxas had earlier teased her about parallel parking, he ended up behind the wheel. Naminé guessed it had to do with the fact that they were riding in his car. He probably didn't trust her with it.

The car ride didn't remain quiet for long. Seemingly back to normal, Roxas turned to Naminé at a red light and asked, "So what was the deal with Kairi not saying something important?"

"You were eavesdropping?" Naminé asked with a smile. "If you're worried, their relationship is fine. I talked with Kairi today and found out that she didn't tell Riku or Sora that we're leaving in three weeks. If you ask me, that's pretty important."

"You're leaving in three weeks when there's more than a month left of summer?" Roxas asked in disbelief. "Why?"

"Because our father said so. I'm not too happy about it either."

Roxas didn't ask any more questions, so Naminé sat silently for the rest of the car ride. Now that she had time to think, it was really a shame that they'd leave so early. It was a strange combination of feelings. To think that she didn't even want to visit the Islands in the first place seemed so long ago; now, with the end of her vacation nearing, it seemed like the majority of summer passed in a flash.

Funnily enough, it all led down to one person: Roxas. He was both the reason she didn't want to come and the reason why summer whizzed by in the blink of an eye. Befriending him skewed her sense of time, and over the course of nearly two months, she felt like a different person. She felt lighter, less edgy. She didn't have to look over her shoulder or remain on high alert from a possible word bout. Or maybe that was unique to just this one day.

Even so, to think one person would make a world of a difference was something Naminé never dreamed of. Life was a lot easier as Roxas's friend, and hopefully he thought likewise. Naminé laughed to herself. She tried to imagine the face of her pre-summer face if someone ever told her that she'd be getting ice cream— by choice— with him after a couple weeks of spending time together.

Naminé stole a peek at Roxas. She never appreciated it before, but his hair was _really_ messy. It wasn't the bad kind of mess, but a disorderly mess. Sora's hair didn't fare much better, but at least his had a unique semblance of organization. Roxas's just seemed to be all over the place. She had to wonder if he spent any time at all fixing it. Did he just give up? There was something incredibly funny about that. Of all the things in the world that could defeat Roxas and remain out of his control, it was his hair. At least that's what she assumed.

He did gel it once, back when they went to Club Spades. It wasn't styled any differently though. Maybe he intended to make it look messy like that. Surely he would fix it up differently if he could.

Roxas's voice abruptly broke into her thoughts. "Are you going to stare at me all day or are you coming down?"

Naminé squeezed her eyes shut and laughed. "Whoa, we're here already? Sorry about that." Naminé followed Roxas to the end of the block. The parlor was three blocks down the road.

"So Sora told me that he and Kairi are leaving for Disney World tonight," Roxas said casually. "Does that have anything to do with the fact that you guys are leaving prematurely?"

"Yeah, but it was sorta planned on Kairi's part. When our father told us we'd be leaving early, he bought us annual passes to the park. Kairi decided to go tomorrow," Naminé explained.

"They told me you were going." The pair quickly crossed an intersection.

Naminé nodded. "I am. Riku and I are leaving tomorrow night. We're gonna spend the night at his condo in the area and go to one of the parks in the morning with Sora and Kairi. You can come too if you want. I'm sure you have a ticket. Your brother does."

"I do have a ticket, but I have to work tomorrow." Roxas scrunched his nose. "Why go with Riku when you can go with your sister?"

Naminé shrugged. "Maybe I want to give my sister some alone time with her boyfriend."

They soon reached the parlor, which wasn't nearly as busy as the previous day. The interior looked more appropriate for everyday use, and all evidence from the special event had been cleaned up. Since there was no line, they were able to quickly make their orders. Naminé rolled her eyes when Roxas again frowned upon her choice of flavor. When he questioned her on how much cookie dough she had already eaten, she blamed him for taking it away from her. Though it was a complete lie, she enjoyed making it seem like his actions backfired on him. In reality, Naminé simply wasn't the type to try new foods or flavors. The name didn't exactly appeal to her. Why would she want salty ice cream?

Roxas led her to the same spot, and each took their places atop the table. Idle conversation passed much of the time, with subjects ranging from the day's events to Roxas's list of can't-miss rides at Disney. The differences it had with Naminé's list sparked a lively debate, and the two bantered back and forth over the inferiority of each other's recommendations.

When they finished their ice cream, Naminé finally got Roxas to open up on the details of his outing with his friends. She was happy to hear that the reason for their get-together was a celebration: Axel and Demyx had signed a deal that would move them to Twilight Town, which was _the_ place to be as an aspiring musician hoping to break into the business. Roxas explained that they would take anything they got there, whether it was a reality TV show appearance, opening for more renowned artists, or collaborating with others in the studio. The group unanimously decided that a reality TV show would be the most lucrative and degrading gig as a possible future. Naminé agreed.

Just as they were beginning to leave, Naminé saw two familiar faces across the block. She waved them down and told Roxas. He didn't react the way she assumed. Instead of waving them over, Roxas attempted to drag her away and leave as quickly as possible.

"Hey! Didn't you just see them?" Naminé asked as she planted her feet.

"I did, and that's why we're leaving. Let's go," Roxas hissed.

"Now that's not very nice!" Naminé chided. "For your information, I already waved to them. If you're ashamed to be seen with me, you're gonna have to suck it up."

"I'm not ashamed to be seen with you." Roxas looked over Naminé head and cursed under his breath. "Great. Listen to me. Whatever you do, _don't_ take anything they say seriously. They're gonna—"

"I must say, I did not expect to run into anyone, much less you guys!" Xion greeted as she skipped over to them. "On a date, perhaps?"

Naminé answered, "Nope, just a friendly outing. Much like yours, I'm guessing." She turned her attention to Axel. "Hi there. Roxas just finished telling me about your future prospects. Congratulations!"

"Thanks," Axel responded.

Naminé stood in place, forcing Roxas to stay as well. "Do you have any idea when you'll be leaving?"

"Around the end of next month. We've got quite a bit of time left here, but it'll be busy." Axel shrugged. "I'll make the most out of everything. That's the plan."

"So what brings you two here? Are you getting ice cream too?" Xion asked.

"We actually just finished ours and were just about to leave. We can keep you company for a while if you'd like though," Naminé said with a smile.

Roxas didn't seem as keen on the idea. "Actually, we—"

"Sounds great!" Xion took one of Roxas's arms and dragged him to the door of the ice cream parlor. "Come and order with me. Axel, will you find us a table and keep Naminé company?"

"Sure." Axel shifted his attention to the blonde and motioned for her to follow. As soon as they sat down on the table, Axel chuckled. "So, you and Roxas huh? He told me things had improved, but I didn't think I'd see you alone together."

Naminé hesitated. On one hand she was very curious about the things Roxas might have mentioned, but on the other she felt an obligation to be reserved. Roxas might have left a few things out for a reason, which she'd have to ask about later. She took the conservative approach. "We've managed to set aside our differences. I think I'm starting to see why you guys like him. He's not that bad."

"No, he really isn't." Axel looked over his shoulder into the parlor. "Did he say anything to you as we were approaching? Anything about what we talked about earlier today?"

Naminé was taken aback. He probably didn't hear anything, but why did he assume Roxas said something? He wasn't wrong. "No, nothing about that." Naminé was satisfied with her answer. It wasn't a lie if applied only to the second question.

"Did he tell you that we'd tease him? I know he had to have said _something_." Axel kept his eyes trained on the pair ordering ice cream.

Naminé allowed her curiosity to get the best of her. "Why do you think he did?"

"Because we talked about you. Or rather, we teased him a bit. Poked and prodded, nothing serious."

Naminé heard Roxas's request repeat in head, but her curiosity got the best of her. "Why did you tease him?"

"Before we woke him up today, we heard him say your name in his sleep." Axel laughed and turned his full attention to Naminé. "That's all."

* * *

><p>Xion knew what she wanted to order, and she knew what Axel wanted as well. They always ordered the same thing thanks to Roxas's insistence. Still, that didn't stop her from pretending to look at the menu to get a few extra minutes alone with her best friend.<p>

"You win," Roxas said.

To an outsider, it seemed out of the blue. Xion, however, knew it had to do with her wager. "I could've gathered that much after this morning," she joked. "That means you're not obligated to hang out with Naminé when your siblings are together. And yet here you are."

Roxas crossed his arms. "She's a friend now. Why is it so surprising?"

"You mean besides the quick turnaround?" Xion quirked a brow. "You didn't have to lie. You said you had to be dropped off at her house because you were going home with your brother, who happened to be over there with Kairi. That might have been true, but you obviously didn't go home with Sora. You came here, and your brother is nowhere to be found."

"That's because Sora didn't tell me that he wasn't planning on going home tonight. He's going to Disney with Kairi." Roxas pulled out his phone. "Don't believe me? Ask him. It sounds weird, but it's true. Ask Naminé too."

"I believe you." Xion frowned. Their conversation quickly escalated into something antagonistic, which was something Xion was hoping to avoid. She quickly changed the subject. "You work tomorrow, right? Let's hang out. I'll pick you up and stay at your place for a while."

Roxas seemed to grow very uncomfortable. "I'm actually calling off and moving it to the day after tomorrow."

"And why's that?" Xion asked before submitting her order of sea-salt ice cream.

"Because I'm going with Naminé tomorrow morning," he blurted.

To say Xion was shocked was an understatement. They recognized each other as friends yesterday, and now they were going to amusement parks together? That was the last thing Xion expected to hear. "Are you serious?"

"Yeah," Roxas replied sheepishly. "I… she offered and I accepted. Sora and Kairi are going to be there for a few days. We're just gonna be with them tomorrow."

"Sounds… fun!" Xion chirped. Though her face displayed otherwise, Xion felt herself becoming more annoyed with each second. First, he ditches his friends to go over Naminé's under some lame excuse. Now he's going to Disney with her. Xion almost found it funny. Roxas gets a new friend— thanks to a wager— and he's willing to shift his schedule around her. As his best friend though, Xion got his spare time outside of work.

Xion didn't feel an ounce of shame for her jealousy. She knew she was jealous. Not only did he put a whole day off for Naminé, but he also prioritized her over spending time with his best friends. Xion knew there was a kind of novelty with new people, but why couldn't he do the same for her?

"Make sure to come to my place as soon as I get off work so we can make the most out of that day." Roxas's words pulled Xion from her thoughts.

Instead of snorting, Xion nodded. "Of course. We've got to work around that busy schedule of yours, after all."

* * *

><p>Naminé was quite sure her sides were on fire. The people she surrounded herself with were apparently bad for her health: every time she felt the burning sensation wane, someone would say something hilarious and the process would begin all over again. Laughing was fun until it became painful.<p>

But she couldn't really stop.

"Naminé, if you don't mind, I'm going to have to ask you a series of questions," Axel said in a very casual manner. "Has Roxas ever asked you to eat any of the following? First, a banana."

"No," said Naminé with a shake of her head. She bit back a smile.

"A lollipop?"

"Nope!"

"Sea-salt ice cream?"

"Yeah, he has."

Upon hearing her answer, Axel shot a look of disgust toward Roxas. "You're sick."

"How is that sick?" Roxas asked defensively.

"To think you would sink so low… yeah, I bet you'd _love_ to see her mouth around your favorite popsicle!"

"Gross!" Xion exaggerated her gag. "I thought you said you were going to be more subtle!"

"I was, but Naminé was starting to calm down. We were losing momentum." Axel pointed his thumb over at the laughing blonde.

Naminé wasn't quite sure how much she could take. For the past ten minutes, Roxas's best friends had been on a tear, teasing Roxas with little digs and embarrassing stories. She was quite sure everything she was hearing were things she never would have heard from Roxas himself. And sure, some of them had to do with her, but it was all said in fun. They weren't joking with the intent of offending her, but rather the intent of roasting Roxas.

The poor guy was helpless. Every time he tried to defend himself, it seemed like Xion and Axel had a way of twisting his words. It reminded Naminé of her relationship with Kairi. It was nice to see that Roxas too had people who knew him so well that they always seemed a step ahead. There was comfort in knowing she wasn't the only one to feel outmatched in certain conversations.

"So I saw online today that you unblocked Roxas," Xion said to Naminé. "That was done by you, right?"

"Yup. Roxas hasn't been able to access my account, thankfully." Naminé shot a look toward the boy and stuck her tongue out.

"I wouldn't be so sure." Xion tapped her chin. "Sure, he doesn't get on yours, but he can see it now from his profile. And I just so happened to be browsing at his house this morning and found a very interesting search history."

"I forgot about that!" Axel yelled. "That was amazing."

"What did you find?" Naminé inquired.

"Oh, nothing really. Roxas apparently thinks that he doesn't have to clear his browser history anymore. Apparently he's found a suitable replacement to… more shameful content."

"Guys, cut it out. That's not even true!" Roxas interrupted.

Xion wasn't impressed. "Which part? Are you talking about your browse through her photo album or the fact that you look at por—"

"_Both,_" Roxas said with a glare.

"He has a thing for blond-haired, blue-eyed girls, just so you know," Axel informed in an aside to Naminé.

"He's into that whole superior race thing?" Naminé joked.

"I think he just likes looking at himself so much he prefers partners of similar traits."

"What a narcissist."

"Tell me about it."

"Okay, enough already!" Roxas slammed his hands on the table. "I knew you guys would do this. How would you like it if I made up a bunch of stuff about you and told Naminé about it?"

"That's the thing. We don't have to make stuff up. You're actually a pervert," Xion said confidently.

"Oh yeah? Well then I guess you won't mind me telling Naminé or Axel that you once had an erotic dream about Sora!"

"What? I did not!" Xion yelled back.

"Well that's exactly what you told me the morning after you were dared to kiss him!"

"You're making that up!"

"Holy crap he's telling the truth!" Axel shouted. "You always do that thing with your hair when you lie!"

Xion looked down at her hand. Sure enough, she had twisted her hair in her finger. "He's lying!"

Roxas turned to Axel soon after. "And I don't know why you're laughing so much. You always defend your psychotic girlfriend and justify everything she does!"

"Hey, do not bring Larxene into this!" Axel warned.

"Well that was fast!" Xion quipped. Namine could tell she was happy to divert the attention. "But that can't possibly be true. It's not like you stuck with her after she pulled a knife on you once."

"Hey, she may be a little crazy sometimes, but it's totally worth it when you get to the bedroom!"

"Ladies and gentlemen, we have our winner!" Roxas announced. "There's nothing more arousing than a life-threatening moment, is there?"

Naminé watched as the trio traded shots and accusations. She didn't quite believe what she was hearing, but all of them were either lying or knew way too much about it each other. What was more interesting, however, was the way Roxas acted around them. Despite the offensive and embarrassing words, all three of them were smiling and playfully shoving. What looked like a fight turned into a group dynamic. To an outsider, they were a bunch of loud young kids shouting obscenities. To them, they probably saw someone who'd stick around no matter what the circumstance.

To think that Roxas connected with more than one person on such a level astounded her. Before, she thought it impossible for him to achieve that type of friendship with anyone. But he did, and it really allowed him to really express himself. Naminé smiled idly as she watched him sandwiched between his closest friends. She knew at that moment he was having fun. He couldn't hide that even if he tried.

"Man, sometimes I wonder why I bother hanging out with you guys. Grow up," Axel barked as he turned his back on them.

"Aww, I think we hurt Axel's feelings!" Roxas frowned at Xion and wiped at a nonexistent tear.

"Oh no! Group hug to comfort the little baby!" Xion and Roxas both wrapped their arms around their older friend and squeezed as hard as they could. Naminé laughed as Axel screamed his lungs out. He couldn't break their hold.

"I'm going to light both of you on fire while you sleep tonight. Count on it." Axel smirked as the moment passed.

"You'll have to muster the willpower to escape from Larxene's clutches first," Roxas teased.

"And we both know that won't happen, so we'll be sleeping soundly. Count on _that!_" Xion finished with a high five to Roxas.

"Makes my job easier." Axel turned to the forgotten observer and gasped. "Whoa, sorry you had to see all that! I hope we didn't scare you. That's the last thing Roxas wants, believe me."

"No, you didn't. You guys are very interesting people," Naminé complimented.

"We probably have to go. Sora called me a lot ten minutes ago. I think he needed the car," Roxas said as he looked at his phone. "I'll see you guys later."

Everyone at the table stood. Axel twirled his keys as he threw his trash out. "Sounds good. We have to get going too. I still have to drop this one off. Larxene's going to kill me."

"Oh please. Just admit you're ditching me for sexy time." Xion walked over to Axel before turning to Naminé. "It was nice seeing you again. I'll have a bunch of stories about Roxas prepared the next time we meet."

"It was nice seeing you guys too. Bye, Axel!" Naminé waved as they began to walk.

"See ya! If Roxas tries to make a move on you, don't hesitate to scream!"

"I won't!" Naminé called back with a giggle. She turned around and smiled at Roxas. "You seem to love your friends very much."

Roxas rolled his eyes. "They're okay, I guess." He seemed to ponder something before speaking. "You didn't believe anything they said, right? I knew they were going to be like that."

"I'll believe what I choose to believe. For example, I wholly believe that both of them have seen you naked. I've been around you for a summer and I've already seen you in your underwear."

Roxas scratched his head. "Fine, they might have seen me naked, but that doesn't mean everything they say is true."

"Right, right." Naminé giggled. "There's nothing wrong with being small, Roxas. Really." She left a mortified Roxas rooted in place.

"That's not even true!"

* * *

><p>Kairi, Sora, and Riku were already gone by the time they got back. Naminé found a note left by her sister detailing their plans. She also included that she the boys about their shortened summer. Apparently they took it well.<p>

Naminé stretched her arms over her head and yawned. She felt like she had a really long day, but every moment of it was awesome. Her mood seemed to last through the passing hours. She normally hated being alone in a large house, but today was different. Tonight she would paint and dance and blast music like nothing else mattered. It was the perfect ending to a perfect day.

Naminé turned upon hearing the knock on the wall. Roxas entered the kitchen with his keys in hand. "Hey. You wanted me to come to the kitchen because?"

Naminé smiled and held out a paper plate. "It's for you. I hope you like apple pie. I gave you two slices, but it's half of the whole thing."

"O-Oh. Thanks." Roxas took the plate and grinned. "I should go. Do you need to lock your door?"

Naminé nodded and led him to the entrance. "Yup! I've got to keep the house safe all by myself. Tonight's gonna be an adventure."

"Feel free to call. I'll probably… well, I'll probably be doing nothing," Roxas said with a wince. Just as he stepped outside, he turned around again with a blush on his face. "Uh, can I ask you something?"

"You can ask me another thing, sure." Naminé giggled. She loved making that joke.

"Do you wanna… um, instead of going with Riku tomorrow night, do you just want to follow Sora and Kairi tomorrow morning? With me, of course," he added quickly.

Naminé laughed. "I thought you had work tomorrow."

"I do, but I can move that to the day after." Roxas shifted his weight onto one leg and looked around. "I just figured… well, you offered and I thought about it, and if Sora gets to go, I guess I can go too, you know…"

"Yeah. That sounds good to me," Naminé answered.

Her answer caught Roxas off-guard. "What?"

"I said yeah. Let's go to Disney tomorrow morning. It's only three hours away, right?" Naminé asked.

"Y-Yeah! It's not that long of a drive at all," Roxas said. "You're serious?"

"I actually planned on not going. Kairi told me that all three of them left tonight after she told them about our new summer timeline. I could have followed, but I wasn't comfortable with the idea of driving that long by myself. No offense."

"No, none taken!" Roxas shrugged. "Cool! We can call them when we get there and hang out with them and all. You probably don't want to be stuck with me the whole time."

"That's dependent on your walking speed. If you walk too slow, I'm leaving you behind. But I'm fine with anything. The more the merrier, right?" Naminé smiled.

"Awesome!" Roxas began to walk backwards from the door. "So I'll see you at five?"

Naminé's smile dropped, which was enough to get a laugh out of Roxas. "What? Five in the morning? That's so early! No earlier than six!"

"Park opens at eight, Naminé! If you want to ride everything in the park without running around like a maniac, you'll need every hour!"

Naminé groaned. He was right. Not only was the park large, but it was also the peak of summer. The lines were probably going to be ridiculous. "Fine. Five thirty as long as you're driving!"

"Deal!" Roxas said with a wide grin. "See you in a couple hours!"

"Don't remind me!" Naminé laughed as she closed the door. She rested her head on the door as she locked it. The thought of being awake again in eight hours made her reconsider her plans. One of her options involved an all-nighter. She'd get the best of both worlds, but she'd probably be dead tired around the park.

Naminé sighed. She'd have to forego her previous plans and go to bed early. Her painting could wait for another time, and she was sure she'd find herself alone at home at least one more time to have her own little dance party.

After a relaxing shower, Naminé threw on a fresh pair of clothes, locked down the house, and hopped into bed. The events she recounted brought a smile to her face. She turned on her side.

She knew falling asleep was going to be difficult. It was earlier than usual, and a part of her still wanted to spend the remaining hours of the day. But most of all— and most unexpectedly— Naminé found herself awake for another reason. It was something she'd only trust telling herself.

Nothing at that moment was more powerful and mind-stimulating than the excitement of seeing Roxas in the morning.

* * *

><p><strong>Redeeming Endeavor<strong>: Huge thanks to everyone who added LPA to their favorites! Another round of applause to those who subscribed as well! Thank you for adding me to your author lists as well.

Thanks to **Versivalia, xXxGothicButterflySpiritxXx, Hegodart, dreamingleaf7, chibixbabe, Kiome-Yasha, TheWitchNamine, elspoek1, Xantaxa539, Brown Eyed Sage, Lil Leif, Alecdot, CheshireBlue101, Gear001,Tenshi Yami, ThatGuy, Gumi Harue, Caramelized, Abominable-IcePrincess, Ayperi, Purpleeninjaaa, Pili1995, Burai Stelar, TwinToshiro, Ash09, illusional writer, A Story In The End, , rokunami, Omega, Kingdom13, KurukiXV, TalesOfStuff, animeluv3, AWEZOME, Dramamamapwnsall, GreyPurpleBlack, Revenge of the Red Pen, kingdomheartsoverload, Squishy Moogle, The Dismotivator, onesmartgoalie, Muledragon, Roxanime, SuperTacocat, g-peachy-chan, Toni Heart, FuryOfTheNight, EclipseoftheSol, Draco Oblivion, EnterAbyss29.91, Lulu, FromSoraXWithLove, abidethestance, Happy Reader, DegreeBound205, randomwriter19, vicucha, VenVen, Dreamer's Samhain, **and **Justice333. **I can't believe how supportive you guys have been. I've gotta get better!

Chapter Data- Word Count: 10,260. Total Editing Time: 1369 minutes.

Harmless Author Fact #19: I absolutely LOVE roller coasters. Cedar Point is great. Six Flags also has awesome rides. I really wanna travel the world and ride the best coasters. It's one of those unattainable daydreams I have.

Take care now! I'll see you around.


	20. Shifting Affinity

Chapter 20: Shifting Affinity

Roxas stared at the blinking digital clock on his dashboard. One minute. He'd wait one more minute.

5:21 AM.

What? A minute had passed already? No way. He'd wait one more.

"Uuuuuugh." Roxas rested his head on the steering wheel. Why did he arrive fifteen minutes early? Ten minutes early made it look like he was a little too eager to leave. Five minutes would be okay, but it got really confusing and potentially stressful since he never clarified whether or not he'd arrive _at_ 5:30 or _leave by_ that time. But fifteen minutes? That screamed all kinds of things. Axel said people who arrived fifteen minutes early to anything came off as insensitive to another person's time with other people, or it made them seem like they were really desperate.

And while that may have been more applicable to job interviews, Roxas still took it to heart. The money mark was arriving eight or seven minutes early. It was a single digit in the middle ground. So after waiting six minutes in his car, Roxas waited for the seventh to pass before he approached the door.

It was still dark outside, and the sky showed no evidence of an imminent sunrise. It would be at least another hour before the sky brightened. Roxas kept his eyes on the ground to make sure he didn't trip. It probably didn't cross Naminé's mind to turn the lights on for him before going to bed or upon waking up.

He paused at the door and placed a finger on the bell, only to hesitate. What if she was still asleep? He should have called her first to make sure. Roxas shuffled through his pockets, only to find out that he left his phone in the car. He shrugged and rang the doorbell.

As the light above turned on a few moments later, Roxas heard the lock give way. He smiled in relief to see a lively-looking Naminé on the other side of the doorway. "Hey," he greeted. "You ready to head out?"

"In a bit. I've got to pack a few things." Naminé closed the door after letting Roxas in. She walked in the direction of Kairi's room and brought back a large duffel bag and a pillow.

"Jeez, Naminé. We're going to an amusement park, not a camping trip," he joked.

"Oh please. This is Kairi's stuff that she wanted me to bring up for them. And the pillow's for me so I can sleep." Naminé held out the bag. "Take this at any time. Really."

Roxas laughed and relieved her of the burden. "Forgive this lowly servant, master."

Naminé rolled her eyes and followed Roxas outside after securing the house. "Don't give me that. Any decent guy would have offered."

"Maybe I was going to offer and you were being the rude one for not waiting," Roxas shot back. "Ever think of that?"

"I can already tell that this is going to be a fun trip!" quipped Naminé as she got into the car. "You seem like a bottle of sunshine this morning."

"I'm pretty sure that's the nicest thing you've ever said to me." He laughed at her groan. "Good that you think this will be fun. It's just beginning."

* * *

><p>The first half hour was uneventful.<p>

"So are you a good theme park partner or are you one of those non-riders?"

Naminé stopped just before she bit into her second doughnut and shot Roxas an offended look. "Seriously?"

"What? It's a legitimate question," said Roxas. He took a sip of his coffee and gingerly placed it back in the cup holder.

"I'm the one in the family that maps out all the rides and arranges them in tiers of necessity and importance. What do you think?"

Roxas shot a quick glance in Naminé's direction. "I'm guessing you ride then."

"That's right! I knew you could do it," she giggled.

"I find it so surprising that you're actually a ride enthusiast. You don't seem like that type of person."

"There's a type for riding?"

Roxas rolled his eyes. "You know what I mean."

"I don't, actually. Care to explain?" Naminé took a sip of her own coffee— incidentally the same exact order as Roxas's— and waited for an answer.

"You know, like… you look like the kind of person who'd be afraid of roller coasters or something."

Naminé recoiled as if Roxas tried to spit acid in her face. "What? I'm not afraid of any rides, much less the ones at Disney!"

"So defensive," Roxas said with a chuckle.

"You're the one stereotyping me! Is it because I'm a girl?"

"No," Roxas quickly answered. "Fine, it may have been an unfair assumption."

"It was. You'll see when we get there. I won't hesitate to leave you behind if you drag us down or walk too slowly." Naminé crossed her arms and took another sip.

"You're really not afraid of anything?" Roxas asked skeptically.

"Nothing… well, except maybe the teacup ride when Kairi's involved."

Roxas didn't hide his amusement. "You're afraid of the spinning teacups?"

"Um, have you ever been in a teacup with Kairi?" Naminé asked like it was a normal occurrence.

"Can't say I have."

"Well you're in for a treat," Naminé mumbled. "You can't say I didn't warn you, okay? Because I just did."

"Duly noted," Roxas answered.

A few more minutes of silence passed before Roxas spoke up again.

"So… are you even tall enough to ride everything?"

Naminé tried to ignore the urge to smile, but failed. She turned her face toward her window instead. "Screw you, Roxas."

* * *

><p>The start of the second hour showed the first sign of impatience.<p>

"Do you always drive with the radio off?" Naminé asked to break the silence. It was on the verge of becoming overbearing.

"It's usually off, but not always. I usually drive in the morning though, and all that's on are talk shows," Roxas explained.

Naminé turned on the radio to check for herself. Sure enough, every channel she came across was a talk show or a station with music she didn't like. "Ugh, great."

"Told you so," Roxas said. "It'll probably be like this the whole way through, and the stations change completely."

"How much longer until we get there?" Naminé asked. She peeked at the speedometer.

"We're getting there. You want me to drive faster or something?" Roxas accelerated the car for extra effect.

"No. _No_," she repeated when he didn't slow down. "You're going to get pulled over."

"Relax, I'm just passing someone." Roxas switched back into the right lane. "Why don't you go to sleep or something?"

Naminé fluffed the pillow behind her head. "I can't. It's too… quiet."

"Too quiet? What, do you fall asleep to a blasting radio every night?" Roxas asked.

"Maybe I don't trust you. You'd probably try taking pictures of me," Naminé accused.

"What? I'm driving. I wouldn't dare do something so dangerous," Roxas said defensively. He smirked soon after. "Wait a second. Too quiet? You just don't want me to find out that you snore, huh?"

"What? I don't snore!"

"Mmhmm." Roxas knew she didn't, but he wasn't going to pass up an opportunity to tease her. "No, you're not a snorer. You're the kind of person who farts in her sleep, aren't you?"

"I am not! You're definitely pulling stuff out of nowhere now," Naminé pulled her pillow into her lap, obviously flustered from the accusations.

"Well how would you know if you're asleep?"

"You know, I could just as easily make things up about you in your sleep," Naminé countered. "Oh, wait a second. I don't have to. _Somebody_ in this car will hug anything and everything that's within his reach when he's asleep!"

Roxas scoffed. "So? What's wrong with that?"

"Oh, nothing really. But it was awfully hilarious seeing you glued to Axel the morning after the party."

"I wasn't holding him. I was… pushing him away," Roxas excused.

"It's nothing to be ashamed of… Little Roxy just needs someone to snuggle with if he wants to fall asleep," Naminé cooed. She laughed when Roxas blocked her attempt to pinch his cheeks.

* * *

><p>The opening minutes of the third hour were filled with conversation. Roxas didn't seem to mind answering any of Naminé's questions about his friends. Roxas noticed that she was fixated on learning more about Xion. He didn't hesitate to answer, and she seemed to be completely ignorant of her disease. It would have been the only topic he would have avoided since it wasn't his story to tell.<p>

It did get a little weird when she asked about undie time. He knew she was implying that Xion was purposely doing things to find Roxas in such positions, but he brushed it off. His friends didn't really respect his privacy, but he always thought it wasn't a big deal. They never bothered him and never truly used their knowledge against him. Instead of taking the bait, he told Naminé that he saw Xion only as a friend.

He knew they were close, and probably a lot closer than other pairs of best friends, but he didn't really think about her in that regard.

"What would you do if you found out she liked you?" Naminé asked.

"I'd continue to act normally until she either disproved it or told me herself. Hearing it from other people won't convince me of anything," Roxas answered.

"And what if she confessed to you?"

Roxas didn't really have an answer. "I don't know." It was an honest response. "If it ever happened, what do you think I should do?"

Naminé didn't expect the response to be a question, especially one she didn't have an answer for. "Well, you like her, right?"

"As a friend, yes. Romantically, no. Do you think it'd be better to start dating and see where it goes?" Roxas looked directly at her right after he asked. "It seems to be the best option since it wouldn't make anything awkward. We'd continue our relationship normally and if things happened, then we'd deal with it accordingly."

"So you'd say yes if she asked you out?"

"I didn't say that. I said what I thought would be an easier choice. We both know that's not always the best one either, hence why I asked you."

Naminé shifted in her seat. "Well, I mean… if you liked her, then of course you'd say yes, but you keep saying you don't."

"Because I don't," Roxas said tiredly.

"Right. And while it would be easier for both of you if you actually started dating, I don't think you should say yes." A heavy silence followed, and Naminé felt obligated to change that. "It's because your views on relationships are different, really. Xion has a much more casual approach, and one that's probably better. Yours is… it's more like mine," she finished.

Roxas laughed. "I noticed that too. If I were to take your approach to it though, Xion would be girlfriend material."

"Right, but that doesn't mean you have to automatically date her," Naminé quickly added. "I mean, just because she's your best friend doesn't mean you have to. You have to like her back, and you say you don't."

"Because I really am not romantically interested in her." Roxas felt like he was repeating himself. "She knows me better than anyone else in the world, and I care about her a lot. She's my best friend, and I've never wanted any more from her."

"That's quite charming of you," Naminé said. "I'll be sure to tell her how you declared your friendship on the car ride."

Roxas's eyes widened and he chuckled at a memory that came up. "Funny how you mentioned that. On my last birthday, she gave me a CD with a ton of Disney songs as both a present and declaration of friendship."

"Oh really?" Naminé folded her pillow in her lap. "Is it some sort of inside joke between you guys or something?"

"Not really. We just watch a ton of movies together and sang along. Rather than singing with or to each other though, we sing _at_ each other. It's actually pretty hilarious."

Naminé giggled. "I'm getting this weird visual of you two in each other's faces and singing songs with a confrontational attitude when they should be intimate and romantic."

"That's exactly what we did!" Roxas laughed loudly at the thought. "We haven't done that in a really long time though. It's been months, and I can't…" he stopped suddenly. "Wait a second. Open that compartment in front of you. The CD might actually be in there."

Naminé did exactly that and pulled out a CD in a thin plastic case. "Is this really it?"

"No way!" Roxas's face brightened. "It was in there the whole time! Go put it in."

Naminé opened the case and turned on the radio. "You're not gonna sing at me, are you?"

"Only if you don't want me to," Roxas said with a cheeky grin. "As a result of singing, I've learned the words to every single song on that CD, which amounts to about six movies worth. I'm not bragging or anything…"

Naminé looked at a piece of paper with a handwritten list of movies. The thought of Roxas being able to sing songs from _Beauty and the Beast_ to _Mulan_ really intrigued her. Curiosity once again got the best of her. Was Roxas being serious? She had to know if he could really sing. There was also an added bonus factor about singing Disney songs right before going to the park.

She popped the CD in and turned up the volume. "Let's see what you got."

* * *

><p>By the time they were twenty minutes away, they were already having too much fun.<p>

"_I'm gonna be a mighty king, so enemies beware!"_

"_Well I've never seen a king or beast with quite so little hair!" _Naminé added a poke to the shoulder as she sang along.

"_I'm gonna be the main event, like no king was before! I'm brushing up, I'm looking down, I'm working on my roar!"_

Naminé leaned back in mock-recoil. "Did you just roar at me?"

"Yeah, I did. I'm gonna be king, so what are you gonna do about it?" Roxas challenged with a smirk.

Naminé giggled and hummed along with the rest of the song. Much to her surprise, Roxas was a pretty good singer. She half-expected him to be awful considering how he joked about singing at people, but his voice seemed trained. He remained in tune and only went off-key on a few notes or if he wanted to. He wasn't perfect, but it was good enough to catch her off-guard.

It was actually kind of sexy. Shiver-inducing too, but she was far too embarrassed to mention that.

Still, she had to give credit when it was due. "You're actually a pretty good singer, you know."

Roxas blushed and scratched the back of his head. "It helps that I've been playing piano for a while. You're pretty good yourself."

"I don't think so." Naminé looked out the window and gasped as they passed a sign. "We're almost there!"

"That didn't feel like three hours," Roxas admitted.

"No, it didn't. I knew music would make the ride seem faster." Naminé took out her phone to let her sister know of their location. Her phone vibrated with a reply a few minutes later. "Kairi said Sora's still asleep, but she's waking him up now. They'll probably get there half an hour late."

"That's fine. Are we meeting them inside the park?" Roxas followed the signs and took an exit that would take them to their destination.

"Probably. It's still early, so the lines will probably be short. We can probably catch a ride while we wait."

The rest of the drive felt even faster thanks to the welcoming signs every mile. Before they knew it, they were being directed to the parking lot. They were all smiles when they walked to the waiting area where a trolley would be picking them up.

Naminé took in all the sights. The last time she was at Disney, her parents were still together. It must've been four years ago. Though she was older, she couldn't help but feel excited. Trips to Disney were always an adventure, and now that she was closer to adulthood she expected it to be a nostalgic as well.

She made sure to follow Roxas closely since her focus was on her surroundings. There were already a lot of people and cars despite the early hour. She should have expected it. It was the height of summer, and tourists from all over the world were probably paying a visit. Part of her really wanted to come back in the offseason. A weekday would be nice. The park would probably be empty with no waits.

"So what should we do now?" Roxas asked as they arrived at another area. Though they were technically already there, the park itself was a short ride away.

Naminé craned her neck and saw a familiar boat heading towards them. The old-fashioned ferry was one of the ways of getting to the park. Although it was slower than the trains, it seemed like the better option. "Let's take the ferry!" Naminé quickly walked as far as the barriers would allow. They were among the first few people to get on.

They remained stationary as more people boarded. Only when the boat was completely full did they begin the short ride. Roxas followed Naminé to the edge and leaned on the railing.

"I always liked the boat ride more," Roxas said as he stared at the water. The air felt cool above the water, and a few clouds kept the sun from an overbearing heat. The weather was perfect for a day at the park.

"Same here. I always look for the most efficient way to get on as many rides as possible, but I never pass the opportunity to make this the first one." Naminé tucked her hair behind her ear and held down the back of her skirt. "When was the last time you came here with your family?"

"A while ago. I came here two years ago with Xion and Axel, but I was probably ten the last time we went as a family. Our parents took us a lot when we were little. Then we got older." Roxas shrugged. "It's better to go to amusement parks with friends. I'd rather go on different kinds of vacations with my parents, like cruises."

The pair took their time debarking and discussed which rides they could go on. With a group of five, there were a ton of rides that accommodated them perfectly. They eventually settled on one of the water rides.

"Better to get these out of the way, right? That way we're dry for the afternoon!" Naminé walked speedily through the empty line with Roxas in tow.

"Good idea," Roxas agreed. "I don't think they'll mind skipping this ride anyway."

* * *

><p>"That was a horrible idea."<p>

Roxas and Naminé laughed as they made their way to the middle of the park where Sora, Kairi, and Riku were waiting. Their wet clothes stuck to their bodies, and a trail of wet footprints and water drops was left in their wake. Naminé attempted to wring the water out of her shirt, but it didn't help.

"If I remember correctly, you were the one that said it was a good idea," she reminded Roxas.

"And if I remember correctly— and I do— you were the one who came up with that idea," Roxas shot back with a smirk.

"That makes you none the wiser and equally guilty!" Naminé said as she ran her hands through her hair.

"Roxas! Naminé!"

The two turned around to see Sora waving at them like an idiot.

"I see you guys didn't waste a second of your time," Riku greeted as they arrived.

"You're alone in the park with my sister for half an hour and you already got her wet." Kairi paused and shook her head. "Ew, that sounds disgusting. Pretend I never said anything."

"Which ride did you go on?" Sora asked.

"The round water raft one. We got the short end of the stick." Naminé giggled as she wiped her wet hands on Riku's shirt.

"No joke. The people on the other side of the raft were practically dry. It wasn't fair at all," Roxas added.

"At least you guys had fun, right?" Kairi paired her question with a mischievous smile.

Naminé nodded. "We did. We can definitely get you guys started too. The lines are probably really long right now, but we can probably sneak in two really good rides before lunch."

"Sounds good, Nam. I've already told the guys that you're pack leader for the day. As long as we go on the teacups later, I'm down for anything." Kairi stood from the rail she was sitting on.

"Lead the way," Riku said. "We'll be right behind you."

Naminé led the group to yet another water ride with the excuse of "leveling the playing field." Kairi was the only one who appeared disgruntled with the choice, but she followed her friends anyway. It was one of the rides that they could exclusively ride together. The wait, as expected, was very long. As one of the most popular rides in the park, the line stretched well beyond the actual entrance.

The wait gave them time to catch up. Naminé recounted the whole drive up and explained how she and Roxas sang the last hour away. She ignored the looks she was getting from her sister and instead focused on the boys who didn't seem to take everything out of context. She spoke with Riku a lot and poked fun at the only couple present. Amazingly enough, Riku told her that they were being "very good" behavior-wise. She was happy to hear that her sister was making the best with her best friends.

The day continued with that routine. They'd wait nearly an hour for a five minute attraction, ride it, and move onto the next one. Naminé began to see why Roxas said it was much better to go with friends. The waiting didn't feel nearly as long as it actually was with a constant conversation to pass the time.

As the day went on, Naminé found herself drifting from group conversation to more private ones with Roxas. At every ride, they traded stories of their previous experiences. His seemed to be a bit more exciting since Axel was far more likely to make a scene than Roxas's family. He told her about the rides that Xion used to be afraid of, and how they had to convince her to go on anyway. She commended their creativity and was happy to hear that despite her fears, Xion was at least more willing to try more rides. She didn't expect Xion to be afraid of some rides, but Roxas pushed that it was all true.

Even better, the whole group seemed to be able to keep up with her speedy pace. They managed to hit a lot more attractions than she anticipated. Since the park was so crowded, everyone voted to have a late lunch and sneak in a few more rides. As the middle of the afternoon approached, Naminé insisted that they grab passes for the rides they'd be riding later. The passes would allow them to skip the main line in return for riding at a later hour. Since they were going to have to wait, eating would be the perfect way to shave off a lot of time.

But before that, Kairi had one more ride that needed to be squeezed in before eating.

"Mad Tea Party! Mad Tea Party!" Kairi leapt and ran around the group, repeating her mantra as they slowly made their way to the line.

"_This_ is your favorite ride?" Roxas looked unimpressed. "Out of all the rides in the park, you pick this thing as your favorite?"

"Don't be mean! You've never been on this thing and rode it to its full potential, have you?" Kairi led them through the winding line path. The line was one of the shorter ones they encountered, and since it was during the hour right after normal lunches, the wait time was a measly fifteen minutes.

"It spins. What potential are you referring to again?" Roxas looked at the ride, watched it for a few seconds, and then returned to Kairi. "We can pregame if you want and start spinning. Let's warm up, guys!"

Sora and Riku laughed when Roxas started spinning in place. Quick to her sister's defense, Naminé grabbed Roxas by the shoulders and halted him. "Oh stop it, Roxas. Save your teasing until after the ride."

"Thank you, Nam. And you," Kairi poked Roxas in the chest as she spoke, "are going to be blown away. Let's see if you say the same thing later."

The wait for the ride felt like seconds compared to the other lines. Kairi excitedly ran to a large pink cup and waited for everyone to catch up. She allowed Roxas to go first, but when Naminé followed in right after him, she slid into the opposite side. Kairi deadpanned. She held Sora back so Riku could enter, forced Sora to go the same way, and then followed her boyfriend. As a result, Roxas had to slide all the way around and ended up sitting next to her sister. Perfect.

Kairi smiled innocently when she received an eye roll from her twin. She looked at everyone else packed shoulder to shoulder. A metal disc as big as a pizza stood in the middle of giant teacup, limiting the already tiny leg space available. Her entire leg was pressed against her boyfriend's.

"I remember these things being a lot bigger the last time I came here," Kairi pulled the small door shut, sealing them in their round confined space.

"This is entirely speculation, but I think we got bigger," Riku said with a serious tone. He placed his hands on the disc in the center and experimentally pulled his weight around it. The teacup spun slowly, its riders rotating around the metallic center. Riku stopped. "Well that's embarrassing. I uh… I promise I'm not that weak, guys."

"We're judging you. Those arms are all show, aren't they?" Naminé teased.

Riku clutched his heart and put on a pained look. "Ouch, right in the manhood!"

"I think the brakes are on until the ride actually starts. Everyone has to put their back into this, by the way. We're gonna be the fastest spinners here." Kairi looked around. "Let's spin it… this way!" She rotated her finger in a clockwise direction. The momentum would allow her to lean on Sora if needed, but more importantly, push Roxas toward her sister. Kairi wanted to pat herself on the back. She was way too good at scheming.

It was a really short minute before the ride began, and it only took seconds before their little ride was spinning at full speed.

"Faster! We need to be faster!" Sora cheered as he pulled harder and harder.

"Are you kidding me? I can barely keep up with this!" Roxas complained.

"Faster! Faster!" Kairi giggled. She had already stopped contributing and held onto Sora.

It reached a point where they were spinning _too_ fast. Roxas finally understood why Kairi enjoyed the ride so much. The speed of their rotation was enough to send them backwards. Roxas couldn't pull himself away from the edge, and the momentum kept him from aiding Sora and Riku from continuing their cyclonic spin. Soon after, everyone was reduced to a laughing mess, their heads cocked to the side and their bodies leaning at a sharp angle. They were pressed against the backs of their seats, helpless against the gravity of their own momentum. Just as Roxas began to wonder how much longer they'd be subject to their dizzying world, the ride began to slow down.

"The world won't stop moving!" Sora looked around wildly and grabbed onto Kairi and Riku.

"That. Was. Amazing!" Kairi giggled and pushed the door open when everything stopped. She wavered when she stood, but held onto the door for support. One by one, everyone in the group stepped out.

"Exit's right there!" Riku pointed across the ride area. Everyone followed him as best they could.

"Roxas, the exit is that way!" Naminé giggled. She clutched the back of his shirt for support.

"I'm getting there!" Roxas would've rolled his eyes if he wasn't so dizzy. He watched Sora stumble where the floor dipped and laughed.

When everyone made it outside, things had returned to normal. The ground was firm beneath their feet and nothing rocked or waved in a supernatural fashion. Kairi was quick to grab Roxas's opinion.

"So what'd you think? Not bad for a ride that just spins, huh?" she said with a smirk.

"I consider myself lucky and happy to stand corrected." Roxas shrugged. "Not bad at all."

Kairi looked back to the ride as it started up again. "Well if that's the case, is anyone up for that one more time?"

* * *

><p>Sora was so sleepy when lunch came around. Though he did stay up late talking with Riku and Kairi, but at home he generally made it through the whole day thanks to a mid-afternoon nap. Sora realized he and everyone else had been walking and riding and waiting nonstop, skipping over his routine nap. Hopefully the food would help him recover. He wasn't going to be the one to lag behind everyone else or slow the group down.<p>

Naminé was the first of his friends to arrive. She brought his drink order along, which he gratefully accepted. He didn't realize how thirsty he was until he took his first sip.

"I don't know about you, but this is definitely my favorite trip in a really long time," said Naminé with a contented sigh. "Though I think it'd be a lot more fun if it wasn't so crowded. I could do without the long lines."

Sora nodded. "I wouldn't mind it so much if I could sleep while we waited. They need to find a way to make that happen."

"Aww, does someone need his nap time?" Naminé reached over to ruffle his hair. "You guys did the smart thing and went to bed extremely late, didn't you?"

"I regret nothing." Sora crossed his arms. "It was pretty awesome. Riku's apartment is two bedrooms, but we ended up bringing one of the mattresses from the bedrooms into the living room and crashed there."

"You all managed to fit on a single mattress?"

"Originally, Kairi and I shared the mattress while Riku slept on the couch. At some point in the night, Kairi switched with Riku because I was moving around too much. I can't help what I do in my sleep!" Sora shrugged helplessly.

"So Roxas latches onto things, you run into things. Definitely related," Naminé said with a giggle.

"Speaking about my brother, you guys seem to be having a lot of fun. What are you guys always whispering about in line?" Sora leaned in as if to pressure for an answer.

"We usually discuss the possibility of running off and ditching you losers," Naminé joked. "No, we just talk about whatever."

"What kind of whatever?" Sora was smirking now.

"You seem awfully interested in our conversations now," Naminé noted. "I think you've been hanging out with my sister a little too much. Is she feeding you all her theories again?"

"I'll have you know I am fully capable of independent thought!"

"You're also the one who's most likely to be my sister's spy. Can you blame me?" Naminé asked innocently.

"Well if you've got nothing to hide, then it wouldn't even matter if I was a so-called spy," Sora countered. "If there's something private between you guys though, I'll gladly back off."

Naminé decided to take a straight approach. "Kairi has definitely been talking about me, hasn't she?"

"You came up at least twice on the drive up here," Sora answered guiltlessly. "But I really am not here for her. I'm just curious about you guys. I think Roxas likes you."

"Likes me?" The words dripped with disbelief.

"Not like _that._ I mean that he enjoys being around you. He seems different now, and I haven't seen such a drastic change in him since… well, since he met Xion," Sora said before taking a long sip.

"Well I hope he likes me and doesn't secretly hate me. I actually consider him a friend now, so it'd really suck if he was acting like this for some long con." Naminé folded her arms on the table.

"It's definitely genuine. If he sang in front of you, then it has to be," Sora reasoned.

"Is that a big deal or something?"

"Well I've only seen him sing around Xion and Axel. He's super secretive about it. I only know he sings because I'm usually in my room and I can overhear him." Sora leaned in and spoke in a lowered voice, "I think he's embarrassed or too shy to sing in front of people."

"He sang around me though. Well, _at_ me actually. It was pretty funny though!" Naminé recalled.

"He's pretty good, right? I mean, he's not 'put this guy on stage' good, but it's decent enough to make the ladies swoon."

"See, if I say anything remotely positive about that, you're gonna run off to Kairi so she can make a big deal out of it." Naminé leaned back in her booth as if she had figured him out.

Sora placed his hand on his chest. "I'm not that evil! Trust me. I promise I won't tell Kairi. I'm just wondering if you share my opinion."

"Well, since you promised…" Naminé began to nod slowly and said in a low voice, "Yeah, it was pretty hot."

"Oh my!" Sora waggled his eyebrows.

"You promised not to say anything!" Naminé lifted her finger to her lips.

"I won't! It's just such a scandalous piece of information. My twin has a fangirl!" Sora nudged Naminé with his finger.

She brushed him away. "Not true. And just so you know, I think Kairi would love it if you learned to sing like your brother."

"I hope you guys haven't been talking about me this whole time." Kairi's words turned the seated teens in her direction.

Sora slid over so his girlfriend could sit next to him. "No, just now. Naminé was telling me that I should learn how to sing properly so I could sweep you off your feet."

"Ew. Please don't." Kairi set her tray down and gave her sister her order. "I'm all for romance and all, but what the hell am I supposed to do if you decide to serenade me? Awkwardly rock back and forth? Sing along? Smile for three minutes straight?"

Sora turned to Naminé. "That got shot down very quickly."

Kairi patted his shoulder. "Just being honest. Now, are there any more must-rides that we didn't collect a pass for? We have a lot of time left, so it's starting to look like we'll really catch all the rides we want."

"The only one we didn't get a pass for is the _Tower of Terror_, but that's because it was on the other side of the park." Naminé looked at a map that was left at the end of the table. "I say we do that right after we eat since we can't ride immediately anyway."

Sora perked up. "Wait, we're actually going on that?"

"Are you scared of that ride? That's what I'm here for, you know!" Kairi playfully nudged him with her elbow.

"No, not me. It's actually…" Sora's gaze drifted to his brother, who was on his way to the table. "Never mind. We definitely have to go on it."

* * *

><p>Roxas stared upward, trying to ignore the pounding heart in his chest. That was a pretty big drop. The screams from the current riders reached his ears at every fall, fueling a fear he thought he had shaken.<p>

At times like these, Roxas always thought about Axel and Xion. The fact that he felt relieved by their absent told the whole story: they were the kind of friends to encourage him to make stupid decisions. In fact, they were the friends who would put their own entertainment over his own well-being.

They'd definitely be the friends to egg him onto this horrific ride. That served as the biggest warning sign for Roxas. If Axel and Xion would've wanted him to ride this, it was probably a bad idea.

"Well, enough dawdling! Time to finally ride this thing!"

Roxas managed to look away only when the top of the ride was obstructed from view. He looked down to see Naminé's fingers wrapped around his wrist. He mindlessly followed. Where was she taking him? He looked around. His eyes widened in fear.

"W-Wait a second, what are we doing?" Roxas pulled his arm from Naminé's grasp. Riku, Sora, and Kairi continued walking as if they didn't hear him.

"We're getting on the ride, silly! Remember we got passes for the fast line?" Naminé giggled as she walked on, only to stop when she realized Roxas wasn't following. "Are you coming?"

"Doesn't… we… what…" Roxas stammered.

"I figured you'd be the most eager! You were standing in front of the ride the whole time!" Naminé beckoned him to follow.

Roxas gulped. He wasn't standing in front of the damn thing because he wanted to _ride_. He was petrified by _fear_. "Why don't we ride this later?"

"Because we're already here!" Naminé rolled her eyes. "Don't tell me you're actually scared!"

Roxas responded defiantly, "I am not! I was just wondering why we… ugh, never mind! Just go." He sighed in defeat. He was trapped. He wasn't going to admit— to Naminé of all people— that he was scared. And he really wasn't scared of the theme of the ride itself. The _Tower of Terror_ wasn't really terrifying. It was, quite frankly, ridiculous.

The drop, on the other hand, was a crime against humanity. It was cruel and unusual punishment. It was a butterfly kiss of death.

It was the only ride Roxas feared. Throw him on a roller coaster, spin him, toss him from side to side, flip him upside down, or spray him with water and he'd be fine. Drop him from a great height and simulate the feeling of free fall? Absolutely not.

"Five!"

Roxas blinked, wondering why his brother said such a seemingly random word. He realized that they were being herded to their spots. Panic began to set in. How did they get there so quickly? There was usually a long exposition, a mood-setter, a bunch of theatrics to alleviate the wait. Had he really blacked out? This had to be a joke.

"The last time we were here, we didn't get to ride this." Naminé's words stole his attention from his inner conflict. "Aren't you excited too?"

Roxas choked out a laugh and wiped his sweaty palms on his shirt. "Ha. Right. Excited." He looked to his right. Standing next to him was Sora, then Kairi, and finally Riku. On his left, Naminé bounced in anticipation.

"I'm surprised you actually got on this ride, Rox," Sora whispered. "I thought you didn't like rides like these."

"I don't." He gulped.

"At least you have someone to hold onto, right?"

Roxas rolled his eyes. "Very funny."

"What?" Sora smiled innocently. "I was talking about me!"

The doors finally opened, parting with an ominous slowness. Roxas reluctantly followed his friends into their row and gawked at the protection. The only thing preventing him grounded to his seat was a bar? A measly lap bar was supposed to hold him down from freefalling and flopping around in the ride? It became very clear to Roxas that he was going to die in a few minutes.

The final moments of his life began with darkness and awful special effects. While his brother chatted with his two friends, Roxas shot a nervous glance to Naminé. She appeared to be just as scared, her blue eyes wide as she stared at the "ghosts" of the tower. Knowing that someone else was affected was comforting.

"I don't remember this looking so fake," Naminé said as she tapped her chin.

Or not.

The time finally came. Roxas felt the ride gradually slow to a stop, and every single light turned off, leaving them in the blackness. All was still for only a moment, as the other riders either whooped or screamed or laughed in their way of coping. The seconds felt like minutes to Roxas. He knew a drop was coming. Why did they have to drag it out?

"This is taking a while." Naminé's voice in his ear would have made his hair stand on end if they weren't like that already. "How long do you think they're gonna keep us here?"

In all his restless and articulate glory, Roxas answered, "I'unno."

Naminé giggled. "You're scared, aren't you?"

Roxas felt a swell of disappointment. He put a lot of effort into hiding his fear, but it wasn't enough if Naminé noticed. He didn't really know why he was hiding it anyway. Sure, he was afraid of a ride at the Happiest Place on Earth, and yes, the very first time he rode the attraction ten years ago resulted in a pants-wetting incident, but he was going to die today anyway. Better to come out with the truth since it wasn't worth taking to the grave.

"A little," he admitted. It was all his pride would allow.

"I'm sure it'll be over soon. We should be dropping right now, actually." Naminé accidentally brushed Roxas's hand on the seat bar with her own. "Oh! Sorry."

A split second before Roxas could apologize, he heard it. Whatever was keeping their ride in place gave way to gravity.

And then they were falling.

The feeling of weightlessness choked down a scream that would have been embarrassing and emasculating. Roxas, however, was not grateful. His insides were going wild, and he couldn't even feel the seat beneath him. He fell, and fell some more.

And when it abruptly stopped, he felt himself being pulled higher.

A girly squeal escaped from his lips when the wall in front of them opened to reveal the whole park in all its glory, but it disappeared just as quickly as it came.

And they dropped again. One more time. Another one after that. And, as if to outdo the crescendo of fear it had been playing all along, the ride hung in the air for a second longer before dropping all the way down.

Roxas only knew it was over when the other riders cheered and laughed. He released a long sigh of relief. It was over. He got out of hell _alive_.

"Just a _little_ scared, huh?"

Roxas felt something tightly grasped in his hand and blushed profusely as he quickly let go. "S-Sorry!"

Naminé held up her hand and stretched her fingers. "Sure you don't need it to help you get off the ride?" she teased.

Roxas rolled his eyes and cursed his shaking legs. "W-Whatever then."

"My hand is free if the little baby needs it," Naminé cooed.

That one made Roxas go on the offensive. "You know what? I don't even want it. Your hand wasn't even comforting anyway," Roxas said with his arms crossed.

Naminé's mouth dropped open, but was quickly replaced with a smile. "You would find a way to twist it so it's my fault!"

"Well you certainly didn't make the experience any more tolerable— ow!" Roxas rubbed the back of his head where Naminé smacked him.

"See if I let you hold my hand again!" Naminé tried to brush past Roxas, but was held back. Naminé looked down to see her hand in Roxas's and groaned before ripping it away.

Roxas chuckled. "You're not doing a very good job of keeping it from me."

Naminé tried her best to appear nonchalant, but was betrayed by only the slightest of blushes. "Hmph. Had I known you wanted to hold my hand so much— and had you been a little nicer— I would've allowed it."

It worked. Roxas was suddenly on the defensive and sputtered an excuse. "W-What? I wasn't trying to hold your hand! I was trying to prove you wrong, and I did!"

"Of course." Naminé shrugged. "You sure proved me wrong by wanting to hold my hand and doing it."

"I wasn't—" Roxas scratched his head in frustration. "You were the one that challenged _me!_"

"Yup, since I _told_ you to hold my hand, right?"

"Are you even listening to me?"

"I believe you, Roxas."

"Hey!"

* * *

><p>Kairi stretched her arms above her head, relishing the downtime at Riku's condo after a day at Disney.<p>

After watching her twin around Roxas, Kairi finally felt like she understood what it was like to stand on the other side of the proverbial fence. Before she started dating Sora, every single one of their friends went on and on about how it was "so obvious" that there was a mutual attraction between two best friends. Kairi always had a hunch that they were right— she was around ninety percent sure Sora liked her— but the mere existence of doubt was enough to keep her from outright confessing. Her friendship was too high a wager to gamble even with favorable odds.

But that was all in the past. The more important matter that needed to be addressed was right in front of her.

She recalled every event. Earlier, Roxas told Kairi that they would be leaving early enough to get home before ten. When she asked him why, he mumbled something about ice cream and closing times and a bunch of other intelligible words that didn't mean anything. It ultimately didn't matter: it was past ten and they were still around.

Kairi didn't bother hiding the smugness when she pointed out that Roxas was holding Naminé's hand in the photo. Of course the two people in question ignored her with an admirable poise, but Sora and Riku indulged her with eye rolls and sighs.

She knew it was their way of saying, "Fine, you were right."

And she was right. Again. She wanted to buy the picture, but her best friends talked her out of it by rushing her out of the store and imposing a completely irrelevant conversation. If only she looked over at them during the ride, the image of it would have been burned into her memories. Instead, she was busy trying to stage an arm wrestle with Riku while Sora used the same manic smile they all wanted him to do since morning.

Right after a delightful light and special effects show, the whole group walked to the center of the park to watch the fireworks. Kairi was absolutely ecstatic since her sister was looking _really_ cozy next to Roxas.

Or maybe not. From an objective standpoint, they looked like two people who sat down on the sidewalk to watch the fireworks explode. But in Kairi's defense, they were sitting close to each other, as close as she was to Sora and Riku. The latter two were her best friends, and if Naminé sat as close to Roxas, it _must_ have meant that the two were becoming fast best friends.

Per Naminé's weirdly specific criteria and standards, boyfriends had to be best friends first. If Roxas became her best friend, he qualified as boyfriend material. Naminé would most likely date him, which would lead to sex and hopefully marriage, and sex led to _babies_, and that meant that Kairi would be graced with an infant niece or nephew of unparalleled pulchritude, which Kairi of course would steal from them so she could shower the little baby with so much affection the world would explode—

"Kairi, are you okay? You're shaking."

"Huh?" Kairi stared into Riku's worried eyes and laughed. "I'm just thinking. No worries."

"Well, try not to crush your phone in the process." Riku gently removed the device from Kairi's grasp. "Sora will eventually get out of the shower. No need to have a mental breakdown."

"Oh quit teasing!" Kairi shoved him lightly. "I was actually thinking about Roxas and my sister. They should be home by now."

"Wasn't she texting you earlier?" Riku asked as he walked into the kitchen. The condominium was small enough so he could easily talk to her despite her place in the living room.

Kairi folded her legs underneath her on the couch. "She wasn't just texting. She was gushing, Riku. I mean, look at this! 'Kairi, you have to hear Roxas singing _Call Me, Maybe._ He is _so_ funny!'" Kairi did her best imitation of how she imagined her sister saying such words.

Riku raised a brow. "How is that gushing?"

Kairi read another text from her phone. "My sides are on fire. Help me, I'm dying."

"I'm just glad she finds him hilarious rather than loathsome."

"Here's another then: 'He just started dancing. You can keep all my stuff when I'm gone.'"

Riku couldn't help but chuckle. "See, I'm pretty sure that last one might be a real indication of danger since Roxas was the one driving and all." Riku abruptly stopped, looked down at his hands, and groaned. "Damn it. Why did I just peel this? You want a banana, Kairi?"

Kairi laughed. It was the first time she saw Riku make a mistake in a long time. "Nope! And it's your fault for trying to contradict everything I say instead of agreeing with me. You were too busy coming up with excuses for Nam."

Riku rolled his eyes and took a bite out of the banana. He returned to the living room and sat right next to Kairi. "You do have this tendency to romanticize very normal events between people. It's like you project things you want to see happen."

"I blame romantic comedies," Kairi conceded. "But you have to admit it's a little gushy. C'mon, Riku."

"Eh… I don't know." Riku smirked. "You're so smug already. I'd hate to give you more credit for calling this stuff early."

"It's gushy and you know it too!" Kairi yelled with a giggle. "I know you saw them too. I _told_ you this was eventually going to happen, and I am hereby collecting an old debt!"

Riku's eyes widened in realization. He clapped his hands and laughed. "Of course you are! This is all it was ever about, wasn't it?"

"I'm sorry, but I don't think that's what you promised to say to me all those years ago." Kairi jumped on Riku, wrapping him in a loose headlock. "Say it, Riku! Say it!"

"Kairi…" Riku grudgingly spoke the three words that would seal his fate. "You were right."

Kairi was sure they were the sweetest words Riku could have ever said to her.

* * *

><p>Naminé turned on her bed for the umpteenth time since turning the lights off. The heavy feeling of sleep that took over the last hour of driving disappeared when she hopped into a warm shower over half an hour ago. As she reviewed the day's events in her mind, sleep only seemed to drift further away.<p>

She decided to do the only thing she could at that moment: think.

She wondered if Roxas was already asleep. One thing she didn't know was how he managed to stay awake for so long: not only did he most likely wake up earlier than her, but he also drove to and from Disney. She knew he had to be exhausted.

She was glad— relieved, more than anything— that she managed to convince him to spend the night instead of driving home. When she woke up in her driveway, she refused to step out of the car unless he went inside with her. She wasn't going to let him drive alone. Though he was stubborn, he eventually conceded when she reminded him that he had been up for nearly twenty-four hours; perhaps mentioning that he had an extra set of clothes in his car helped convince him as well.

It was probably her fault too. The original plan was to arrive back in town before ten so they could grab their free ice cream. Naminé, however, asked him if they could stay and watch the fireworks before leaving the park, which of course meant missing that chance. To her surprise, Roxas agreed. Naminé was grateful for the gesture. It stretched their day— a day Naminé personally didn't want to end— by an extra three hours, and it probably had to a lot to do with the car ride too.

And oh, that car ride.

Naminé was sure that the first two hours of that drive would forever be remembered as the funniest two hours of her life. She had never, _ever_ in her sixteen years laughed so hard for so long. It was definitely the sort of delirium that followed more than a day's worth of exhaustion, and it all began with a song on the radio.

She only remembered making a comment and asking him if he liked the song, which was particularly girly. He didn't just answer her though: he sang _at_ her with flawless lyrics and purposely off-tune singing.

When that song finished, her sides were aching from laughing so much. Roxas seemed to take great joy in her pain and insisted on listening to his MP3. He shocked her again by singing along with a playlist of a particularly popular country pop singer. She couldn't even ask him why he had her album. She was laughing too hard.

And just when she thought her laughter was finally subsiding, he threw in some exaggerated and very animated dance moves. Naminé actually started crying from laughing so hard. It was all kinds of wrong seeing Roxas sing along as if his closest competition in the love department was a cheer captain who wore short skirts. She had _no_ idea what the heck he was doing when he claimed to be dancing behind the wheel too. Not many people looked good when they tried to jam while sitting down with a seatbelt on.

She found all of it hilarious. She'd howl in laughter when he'd overshoot a high note and clutch her sides when he wiggled his shoulders, shimmied, and gyrated. It was as if his goal the whole time was to kill her with fire in her sides. He did everything he could to make sure she never stopped laughing. He completely changed his character and demeanor for the sake of her continued enjoyment.

Naminé pressed a pillow onto her face and tried to quiet the sound of her giggling.

What an idiot. Roxas was such a freaking adorable idiot.

Naminé didn't know what to make of him anymore. He was chock-full of pleasant surprises. Over and over again he dispelled all those crazy and negative views she once held against him. It was like meeting a person for the first time and finding an immediate friend. Something clicked. Things made sense and remained a total mystery at the same time, and in that chaotic confusion was a weird sense of adventure and desire for discovery.

It was absolutely thrilling.

She didn't know how long she lay awake in her bed. Minutes passed like seconds: her nightly review became a source of buzzing energy and a reason to remain awake. She couldn't find the sleepiness or fatigue to force herself to sleep.

Her phone suddenly vibrated on her nightstand. Naminé quickly recovered from the initial surprise and checked it, expecting it to be a reply from her sister. Her eyes widened.

_You awake?_

It was Roxas. Naminé's heart began to race as she slowly typed her reply.

_Yes._

Her breathing became short and audible to her ears. Her stomach tingled in anticipation as she waited for a reply. She felt nervous and she didn't know why.

Then the reply came. Instead of arriving in the form of a text, it was a soft rapt at her bedroom door that caught Naminé's attention.

"Naminé?" His voice was quiet, whispered even, but Naminé heard it clearly. "Can I come in?"

Naminé bit back a smile. This time she was ready for the surprise question. Doing her best to ignore the butterflies in her stomach, she answered.

The door opened, and the night began all over again.

* * *

><p><strong>Redeeming Endeavor: <strong>Thank you very much for subscribing or adding LPA (and me!) to your favorites. I love seeing new people reading the story.

And I don't know how it happened so quickly, but we broke 700 reviews! That's freaking awesome, right? I won't be surprised if this eclipses the millennial mark by the time it's done. Spoiler alert: this story doesn't end with the girls' summer. So, I once again want to thank **Burai Stelar, Xantaxa539, Ash09, GenieLUV, elspoek1, Ayperi, EnterAbyss29.91, TwinToshiro, rokunami, xXxGothicButterflySpiritxXx, vicucha, Tenshi Yami- Angel of Darkness, Lupus7, Shire Folk, GreyPurpleBlack, Dramamamapwnsall, kingdomheartsoverload, Kingdom13, Justice333, chibixbabe, Squishy Moogle, GummyDrive, abidethestance, Polymoly, pili1995, animeluv3!, illusional writer, Gumi Harue, Gear001, SummonerDagger88, Draco Oblivion, 18summer, Witch of Tragedies, KurukiXV, Omega, TheShadowRiders, Versivalia, PumpedUpKyx, Naivette, I'm Anonymous, monkmonkeys, xglitter-gloss, typewrite, Kiome-Yasha, A Walking Travesty, Madhatta51, Oaths2Oblivion, The Dismotivator, Stardust897, namiroku, amore-amour, KatieGracexox, Lulu, ** and** PatheticalyInLove. **With the replies below, I think I managed to reply to every single one of you, including anonymous. Call me out if I missed you though.

Chapter Data- Total Editing Time: 1153 minutes. Word Count: 9432.

Harmless Author Fact #20: I have an awful short term memory, which makes me lose things very often. I typically forget reasons why I run up or down stairs, and on more than one occasion I've forgotten to do things despite being reminded moments before. I also forgot to put this fact in the chapter :P

Take care, and I'll see you around!


	21. Boiling Point

Chapter 21: Boiling Point

Roxas felt his head lurch forward, followed by a dull pain in the back of his head. He inhaled deeply and cracked his eyes open. Where was he? The room was dark, save for a sliver of light that crept under the blinds of a nearby window. He stretched his limbs and hissed as his back ached in pain. He realized he was sitting up. He turned his head around.

He fell asleep next to a bed. Judging by the foot hanging off the end, it was Naminé's. Did she kick him awake?

He shook his head and pushed himself to his feet. Naminé didn't stir at all as he stumbled toward the exit. He picked his phone up from the floor and quietly closed the door behind him. A hand quickly flew to his head. He felt dizzy, like he hadn't gotten much sleep. He checked his phone, which confirmed his suspicions when it showed the time. It was nine in the morning. He slept for a grand total of two hours.

He began to recall the events from the previous night. He went to Naminé's room because he couldn't sleep. The long conversations that followed that moment did nothing to fix his problem. Naminé was the one to remind him about work, and that wasn't until they realized they had talked until the sunrise.

He trudged his way to the bathroom to clean himself up. After using the toilet, he noticed Naminé's iPad sitting on a shelf. He took it, but his progress was blocked by a passcode. He frowned and tilted it against the light. He barely made out the fingerprints and turned the screen back on. Based on his findings, he entered a possible combination: 9444. He smiled when it unlocked. Lucky guess.

The first thing he did was, naturally, find a way to gloat. He turned on the camera and took a picture of himself in the mirror, sticking his tongue out for added effect. He replaced her background with the new picture right after. The next thing he checked was the internet. His luck continued: Naminé probably didn't anticipate anyone getting into her tablet, so she didn't take the extra step of caution.

Her profile was easy picking. It didn't take Roxas much time to decide what he'd do. Finished with his devious deeds, he contemplated his next course of action. He had reset his alarm to wake him up half an hour before work, but Naminé kicked him awake half an hour early. What would he do with that extra half hour?

His next idea struck as his stomach grumbled angrily. His grin widened, and he turned the camera on once again and switched it to video mode.

* * *

><p>Naminé slowly woke up and stretched in every direction. She let out a long yawn before opening her eyes. Despite the long night, she felt like she was well-rested. As she untangled the sheets around her body, her hand struck something solid in the spot next to her. She moved a pillow aside and was surprised to find her iPad sitting on her bed. Didn't she leave that in the bathroom last night?<p>

She picked it up and turned on the screen. Everything seemed to be in order until she unlocked it. The picture hidden behind the applications made her burst out in laughter.

"How in the world did you unlock this?" she asked aloud. She changed her background back to normal, but decided to leave the picture intact. Before she closed her photo album, a few videos caught her eye. She opened one of them.

It was a video of Roxas looking for breakfast. "Day two, fifth hour. My search for edible sustenance continues with no sign of success. As the minutes wane, my body begins to weaken…"

Naminé's hand flew to her mouth as she giggled. Surely he was being facetious. He couldn't have been serious, unless he actually expected to find food in random drawers or even in the dishwasher.

His mockumentary ended with the discovery of pie. Naminé swiped the screen to the next video. She started it immediately, but only found a video of Roxas eating. As she tapped the screen to bring up the menu, Roxas spoke.

"Is this thing on?" The video temporarily filmed the countertop. "It was recording this whole time? Oops."

Naminé giggled as she watched him set the camera. Eventually the picture steadied. He probably found a way to prop the thing up.

"I'm guessing you were watching me eat the whole time. Who's the creeper now?" He took another bite of pie before continuing. "I've taken the liberty of eating your pie as payback for waking me up earlier than I wanted to be. And by the way, this thing is delicious."

Naminé waited expectantly for something insulting to follow, but the compliment came unattached. She smiled.

"Oh, I also accidentally ate like, all of it." Roxas held up the pie tray, showing only a single slice left over. "And I finished your milk too. You might want to do some grocery shopping later. Just saying."

Naminé groaned. Where in the world did boys get ridiculously massive appetites?

"I'll be leaving these dishes in the sink for you. Don't forget about them!" Roxas flashed the camera onto the sink to confirm his words. "I bet you're still sleeping. Remember in the car yesterday when you said you didn't want to fall asleep in front of me? Well, you kinda did, so now it's time to do something creepy." Roxas flipped the camera around and slowly pushed open the bedroom door. He trained the camera on her sleeping form. "See, I would've gotten some extra sleep like you if you didn't kick me in the head."

"I kicked him in the head?" Naminé asked aloud. "Nice!" She bit back a smile and congratulated herself.

"I'm ninety-nine percent sure you talk in your sleep. I swear I heard you say 'ahoy' at some point. What are we today, I wonder? Perhaps a pirate?" Roxas chuckled. "Wake up, captain!" he whispered from the door. "Er, first mate? Navigator? Cabin wench?"

Naminé saw herself stir on camera.

"Oh. It's _that_ kind of dream!" Roxas snickered behind the camera. "Time to back out slowly…"

"What an ass." Naminé rolled her eyes. She was most certainly not dreaming about being a pirate— much less a cabin wench— and she was sure she didn't talk in her sleep.

"What time is it anyway— what? Oh shoot, I'm gonna be late!" He fumbled with the camera for a bit before training it on his face. "I'm going to hide this now, and hopefully you won't discover this until you're done pooping." Roxas's lips curved into a knowing smile. "That's right. I know why you keep this thing in your bathroom. Someone's a good multitasker! I'd add that to your list of special skills: drawing something while taking a dump. Oh yeah."

"I'm going to kill this boy," Naminé resolved.

"In the lucky event that you do find this thing and prevent all your first-world problems, I leave you this last hint: make sure to check your status online. Oh, and change your lock passcode. Oh, and ice cream later today at… seven, I guess. Don't be late." The video abruptly ended.

Naminé sat still, staring at the screen. Oddly enough, she felt extremely happy. As dumb as he was in the video, it left a warm feeling behind. She felt great, and her reflection showed a smiling girl staring back at her.

Why did such a silly video make her so happy? "I don't understand this guy," Naminé said to herself. She lightly slapped her cheeks, hoping to shake the light feeling. Besides, she had a few things to do. He obviously never intended to hide her tablet from her, but wanted her to watch the videos. Why would he lie about that? It had to mean something, and Naminé thought she had the right idea.

She'd have to sort through fact and fiction. Leave it to him to start her day like that. He'd always kept her on her toes in the past. Of course he'd make her hit the floor running from the moment she woke up. On the bright side, she had her own adventure to complete. Naminé threw off her covers and walked straight to the kitchen.

The first thing she did was check the sink. Did he really leave his dishes? Maybe he was nice enough to actually clean up after himself.

"And… he left them for me. Awesome." Naminé shook her head. That was too optimistic of her.

The next thing she checked was the fridge. Did he leave her other pie intact? He did manage to eat nearly a whole pie for breakfast alone. Naminé pulled the door open and scanned for damage. Not only did she find one of her pies untouched, but she also found the milk jug. Unfortunately, whatever was left in it wasn't enough to fill a whole cup. It was pointless mercy, and Naminé would've preferred he finished it. Maybe that was his plan all along. Was he that sinister to leave her without enough milk for a bowl of cereal though? She had her doubts. It probably just turned out that way.

What Naminé didn't find in the fridge was the remaining slice of pie from the video. She checked all the shelves, but it wasn't hidden anywhere. What happened to it?

Naminé unlocked her iPad and searched for more video clues. When she found none, she checked the recently used apps and discovered that he opened the notes section. She followed suit and found a message inside.

_The pie was too good to leave behind, so I stole the rest of it for lunch today. But I left you some milk, so that's nice, right?_

"Hardly," Naminé answered. Still, she was happy to hear he liked the pie so much. Perhaps she'd make another one of the same ingredients just for him. She had to go grocery shopping anyway.

Just as she was about to move on, she remembered Roxas's last hint. She opened her browser to find it on her profile page. Great. What'd he write this time? Whatever it was, it attracted a lot of attention. She scrolled down the page.

_Roxas is the funniest, sexiest, classiest, smartest, and awesomest person alive and I can't wait to see him again!_

"I see 'humble' didn't make the list," Naminé mumbled. Instead of deleting her status, she turned off her iPad and set it on the table. What was the point? The damage had been done, and her friends had to know she wasn't the one to write it anyway.

Besides, it wasn't entirely untrue.

* * *

><p>"Roxas? Hey, Roxas! Wake up!"<p>

Roxas lifted his head and hissed when his eyes took in the bright lights. He blinked twice, looking into the concerned eyes of is coworker. "Olette? What's up?"

"I should be asking you that! Are you all right? You fell asleep sitting up."

"I did?" Roxas looked around. Sure enough, he was sitting in the middle of the reception area. It was a good thing Olette was the one to find him. "Oh, sorry! I guess I'm more tired than I thought."

"Had I known you would've fallen asleep, I wouldn't have asked you to wait!" Olette handed him a small food case. "Here's your share. Will you be okay driving home? You can take a coffee home if you need to."

"I'm sure the brownies will be enough," Roxas said with a smile. He opened the container and took a bite. "Delicious. Thanks, Olette!"

"Try not to overexert yourself, all right?" She ruffled his hair before returning to the back room.

Roxas chose not to correct her and reveal that he stayed up late with Naminé. If his lack of sleep didn't negatively affect his work, then the reason for his sleepiness was irrelevant.

The drive home was pretty boring. Roxas was sure he had never yawned so many times in a single car ride, but at least he didn't fall asleep. He busied himself with his thoughts and began to wonder if Naminé found his videos. Did she watch them? How did she react? He really wanted to know if she found any of it funny. More importantly, was she mad that he took the rest of the pie with him? It wasn't his fault, really. It was too good. He was practically obligated to eat the rest.

She probably deleted the status update he left for her. It wasn't hard to figure out that someone wrote it for her, but he thought it was clever. When he finally pulled into his driveway, he checked his phone. A grin spread across his face when he read a message from Naminé. She claimed that she didn't dream about pirates. Not only did he think that was untrue, but he also received confirmation that she watched the video.

He noted Xion's car when he opened his already-unlocked door. "Xion?" he called out.

"Upstairs!" she answered.

Roxas kicked off his shoes and ran up the stairs. Xion sat atop his bed, controller in hand. "Thanks for waiting," he said sarcastically.

"I've been here for a while. Someone worked an hour over without telling me." Xion paused the game. "You look exhausted, by the way."

"That happens when you get about two hours of sleep." Roxas dropped into his computer chair and hung his head back.

"Why in the world did you get only two hours of sleep? I thought you were going to get home before midnight."

"That was the original plan, but we stayed a lot longer."

Xion looked skeptical. "So you didn't get home until what? Seven?"

"We got home around one or two in the morning," Roxas answered after a slight delay. "I'm gonna shower. I smell like pet shampoo."

Xion sat up. "Why did you only get two hours of sleep then?"

"Because we talked."

Xion shifted uncomfortably. What was with these cryptic answers? "And by 'we' you mean you and Naminé?"

"Yeah." Roxas disappeared into the bathroom. The shower turned on seconds after.

Xion sighed and fell back onto the bed. Why was he being so distant? Maybe he wasn't doing it on purpose. He was tired, and he probably wasn't in the mood to talk too much.

Xion paused. That didn't sit well with her. He was exhausted, yes, and maybe not in the mood to talk. The fact that they stemmed from a night of talking, however, was what bothered her. What, did he talk himself out with Naminé? She could hardly believe that. Not only did that seem implausible, but it also wasn't fair. And did they really just talk the whole time? Roxas wasn't exactly the kind of person to talk for hours on end.

Jealousy bubbled within her. What in the world did they talk about for five odd hours? And why was his time with Naminé taking a toll with his real best friend? Xion crossed her arms. She'd have to wait for Roxas to get out of the shower, and then pray that Roxas would tell her everything.

He emerged minutes later with only his underwear on. With the towel hanging over his head, Xion shamelessly took him in by the eyeful. Her stare didn't break until he dropped onto his bed, arms spread wide and eyes closed.

"Has my bed always been this comfortable?" he drawled.

Xion got up and crawled closer to him. She lifted his head and placed it in her lap. "Yes, but any soft surface would feel good given the amount of sleep you've gotten." She ran her hands through his damp hair and massaged his scalp, making him hum in delight.

"I'm not that tired." He couldn't finish the sentence without yawning. "I'm just… I need to rest my eyes."

Xion swallowed her disappointment. Today was supposed to be her day with him. She didn't even get the full day, and by the looks of it, she'd get a lot less since he needed sleep. "You sure had a long day, huh?"

"Yeah… yesterday was pretty awesome. Best trip by far." Roxas giggled.

Xion continued to comb through his hair with her fingers. Did he just _giggle_? What in the world? "What made it better than other Disney trips?" Best trip? He had more fun than he did with her and Axel?

"I don't know. Maybe because it was so spontaneous, you know?" He sighed and smiled.

"Hmm." Xion narrowed her eyes. "You mean to say you had a good time with Naminé."

"Well I did," he admitted. He then chuckled to himself. "She's absolutely fearless, which I wasn't expecting. She was willing to ride every in the park."

Xion scoffed. Since when was that a big deal? She was the exact same way and Roxas never noted that about her. All of a sudden it was an accomplishment? Please. "That's cool, I guess. She'd make a good theme park buddy."

"And a great road trip buddy," Roxas added much to Xion's annoyance. "You should definitely go on a trip with her one day."

"Mm. Sounds like my kind of party," she mumbled sardonically. "Why'd you guys stay up so late? You really had that much stuff to talk about?"

"I just couldn't sleep." Roxas shrugged. "I guess I was still wired from the trip, so I went to her room and we just stayed up and talked about stuff. I think you two would get along. You're actually really alike."

"Imagine that." Xion breathed in slowly. Roxas seemed to lay off the Naminé-worshipping, so she busied herself with Roxas's hair again. She didn't know what to do with that information. Should she be happy that Roxas likes those personality traits in both her and Naminé, or was it bad that he found it more attractive in the blonde? Xion knew Roxas never gushed about her that way.

"Xion?" Roxas blinked slowly before snuggling into her lap. His hair tickled her legs.

"What? You falling asleep on me?"

"Quite literally, yes." He closed his eyes and relaxed. "Is it normal to eat nearly a whole pie for breakfast?"

Xion raised a brow. "Um, what?"

"Do pies make you sleepy? I ate like all of Naminé's pie this morning. It was so good, Xion. I couldn't stop eating it." Roxas chuckled guiltlessly. "I even took the leftovers to work. She's really good at baking."

Xion inwardly groaned. "That's great, Roxas. I'm really happy for you."

"Next time she bakes, I'll save some for you." With that, Roxas dozed off.

Xion watched his chest rise and fall in a slow rhythm. She smiled sadly. She sat still for a while, idly brushing Roxas's hair from his face. His face was completely relaxed, and she was sure he'd be asleep for hours to make up for the lost time. She didn't want to wake him up either: not only would he be a bit cranky, but he had work the following day. He needed to catch up on his sleep somehow. She allowed a few more minutes to pass before carefully removing herself. She tucked a pillow where her lap used to be and threw another one next to his arms. He quickly latched onto it and hugged tightly.

Xion wanted to slam her head against a wall. Why did she have to find that so cute? Life would have been so much easier if stupid things like that didn't make her want to gush. She certainly wouldn't have been feeling jealous over Roxas's growing relationship with Naminé too. Part of her loathed what her friendship became. She never thought her life would play out like a cliché chick flick. What sucked was the sinking feeling that she wouldn't get the happy ending those girls got.

So many people liked to assert that the best relationships come from dating a best friend. None of them gave her advice on what to do when it looked like a bad idea each passing day.

* * *

><p>Roxas cracked his eyes open, only to bury his face into a pillow. He groaned. It was still bright outside, and his windows allowed the light to spill inside. He breathed in, trying to gather his thoughts. When did he fall asleep? How long was he out? He rolled over and again opened his eyes. The last he recalled, he was resting on Xion's lap. Where did she go?<p>

"Xion?" he called. His voice came out hoarse, so he cleared it before talking again. "Xion, you here?" No answer. Sighing, Roxas fell back into his bed. She probably left as soon as he fell asleep.

Before Roxas closed his eyes again, he heard his front door opening. He sat up and, upon realizing that he wasn't dressed, threw on a pair of shorts folded on his computer chair. He heard his door open behind him.

"Roxas? You're awake!" It was Xion. The smell of fast food wafted toward him, and his eyes locked on the small paper bag clenched in her hand. She held her car keys and drink tray in another.

"Yeah, just a few seconds ago actually." Roxas cleared his throat, hoping to shake off his grogginess. "I see you went ahead and got yourself some food."

"Not just for me!" Xion grinned widely and walked over to the computer desk. She pulled out half the bag's contents and handed him the rest. "Your parents went out to dinner while you were asleep. They invited us, but someone was knocked out."

Roxas sat atop his desk and allowed Xion to take the chair. "Thanks. And you could've woken me up."

"You needed the sleep."

Roxas didn't realize how hungry he was until he began eating. It only took him a few minutes to get through half his meal. He made the effort to slow down and actually talk to Xion. It was better for his health to pace his consumption of something so unhealthy anyway.

Roxas found out that Xion busied herself with the same game she was playing when he walked in. He was skeptical that he slept through it all, but eventually believed her when she insisted on turning on the game and showing him the save file. Was he really that tired? He didn't feel like it anymore, but maybe that was the result of sleeping so deeply for hours. The conversation continued and turned, and Roxas began describing the events of the previous day. He made sure to leave out any embarrassing details when recounting the Tower— Xion didn't need to know that he grabbed anyone's hand in fear— but made sure to describe everything else in its entirety.

He strongly insisted that the next time they went they would have to ride the teacups.

"Were Sora and Kairi awkward at all?" Xion asked when Roxas recalled the last few moments at Disney.

"I didn't think they were. Kairi's all worried about leaving early, so she's been sharing her time with Riku too. I wouldn't know. I kinda talked with Naminé the whole time," Roxas said with a shrug.

"I see. Were you guys invited to stay up there with them?" Xion spun her chair around and took a long sip from her drink.

"Yeah, but by the sound of the sleeping situation, we'd end up sleeping in the same room. I think she wanted to come home too."

"Yet you ended up at her place anyway."

Roxas thought for a moment and chuckled. "Yeah, funny how that happened. I even ended up sleeping in the same room!"

Xion spun the chair around again. "Hilarious."

"That sounds bad, doesn't it? I ended up falling asleep on the floor at the foot of her bed. It was pretty uncomfortable." Roxas looked down at his food. He ate really fast. It didn't really surprise him that he ate a whole pie by noon.

"Why didn't she give you something to sleep on? Sounds kinda mean to me," Xion quipped.

"I was supposed to sleep on the couch, but I went to her room 'cause I couldn't sleep. I don't think either of us intended to stay up the way we did," Roxas said.

"How spontaneous of you!"

Roxas shrugged. "I didn't think we'd have so much to talk about." He laughed to himself.

"Well, after about sixteen years of feuding, I don't think it should be that much of a surprise. Did you guys talk about how mean you guys were to each other at all?" Xion questioned.

"Nope!" Roxas shook his head and threw himself onto the bed. "Now that I look back on it, it was more a conversation on what we had in common. I swear she watches just about every TV show we watch."

"Awesome," Xion said with a slow nod.

"Thanks again for the food, by the way." Roxas sat up to throw on a shirt. "And sorry for falling asleep on you. I didn't drool on your lap, right?"

Xion giggled. "No, you didn't. And apology accepted. We still have the rest of the evening to hang out, right?"

"That's true. What time is it anyway?" Roxas checked his reflection and ruffled his messy hair.

"It's nearly eight. When was the last time you ate?" Xion gathered the trash as she spoke.

"Around noon. It's been eight—" Roxas suddenly paused. Ice cream! He told Naminé to meet him for ice cream at seven! "Wait, it's eight?"

"It's ten minutes to eight, so pretty much." Xion raised a brow. "Why?"

Roxas darted into his bathroom. "You up for ice cream? I'll pay."

"Now?" Xion walked into the hallways and stopped at the door of the bathroom. "You're still hungry?"

"A little," Roxas admitted. "I guess I'm in the mood for ice cream at the downtown parlor."

"Why do we have to go to the downtown parlor when there's one less than ten minutes away?"

Roxas made eye contact with the mirror. "Downtown is nicer at this time though! And sorry, I didn't realize a longer car ride with me was undesirable."

"You're being dramatic." Xion rolled her eyes. "Tell me when you're done putting on your make-up. I'll head to the car when you're done."

"Better go down right now then!" Roxas brushed past her and turned into his room. "Could you get rid of the trash?"

"Already on it. I have your keys!" Xion was walking down the stairs moments after.

Roxas frantically searched his room for his phone and wallet. He silently hoped that Naminé wasn't mad at him. As soon as he found his stuff, he called her. "Hello?"

"Hi, Roxas!" The sound of her voice put a smile on his face. "Any reason why you're calling me while I'm busy?"

"You're busy? Doing what?" he questioned without missing a beat.

"None of your business," she answered.

"Of course. Did you forget about ice cream tonight, by any chance?" He closed his bedroom door and ran down the stairs.

"Ice cream?" Naminé's tone dropped off as she realized what he was talking about. "Ice cream! I'm so sorry, I completely forgot about that!"

"Don't sweat it. I slept through seven, so had you remembered, you would've been alone. I'm heading there now with Xion, so I suggest you do the same." Roxas walked around his house in circles. Where were his car keys?

"Yeah, definitely. I just need to get ready."

"I'll see you there then. And drive carefully, Naminé. Don't worry about rushing over." Roxas slapped his forehead. Didn't Xion say she had his keys? She definitely did.

"Don't worry, _dad._ You're not important enough for me to risk my life for."

"Ice cream is, though."

"For you, I suppose. I can survive without it," Naminé joked. "Bye-bye, Roxas."

As soon as he hung up, Roxas made his way outside and hopped into the driver's seat of his car. Xion handed him the keys.

"Someone wants their ice cream, huh?" Xion smiled and opened her window.

"Naturally," Roxas replied. "It's only the best thing in the world."

* * *

><p>Xion tapped her fingers on the door and shifted in her seat. "So… why are we waiting here?"<p>

"We're waiting for someone," said Roxas. A small grin appeared on his face.

Xion furrowed her brow, but didn't say anything. Roxas was being mysterious for no reason again. She ignored it and looked around the car. The dark interior was nearly spotless, save for a few coins sitting at the bottom of a cup holder. What was with boys and their cars? They always managed to keep it so clean. Unlike her car, there wasn't a stray receipt or napkin or straw wrapper. Despite the different cleaning habits of Roxas and Sora, they managed to keep their car in a very pristine condition.

Xion looked down and noticed something hiding in the door compartment. She pulled out the small paper, only to realize it was a picture of Roxas with Naminé. Something was written along the bottom in permanent marker. "Roxas," she tapped his shoulders and flashed him the picture, "what's this?"

Roxas's eyes widened. He took the picture out of her hands and laughed. "When did she manage to sneak this into the car?"

"You mean Naminé?" Xion frowned. When did that happen? And why did they look so surprised?

"Yeah. Naminé and I won a contest at this parlor and got free ice cream for a week. This was a few days ago. I guess she left this here last night." Roxas handed the picture back.

Xion stared at it. "What's with the date?"

"It's our fake time together. It was hilarious, really. We had to pretend to be a couple, and then the host asked us how long we had been dating. She looked at me, I looked at her, and we gave two different answers. I ended up saving our asses by making it seem like we knew exactly how long we were dating," Roxas recalled.

"You said you were dating for nearly three and a half years and _no one_ suspected you of lying?" Xion said in disbelief. "Weren't you guys at each other's throats?"

"For the sake of free ice cream, no. I actually tricked her into playing with me, I think. Oh well. It was fun, we won, and it's something we can laugh about now." Roxas sat back with a smile on his face.

Xion put the picture away. "So the person we're waiting for is Naminé, isn't it? The reason why you wanted to get ice cream so badly is because of her."

"What? No, I genuinely want my free ice cream. I just told Naminé to come along too since she won too." Roxas stared at her for a moment. "Are you okay?"

Xion widened her eyes and put a grin on. "Hmm?"

"You look… angry. Are you mad or something?" Roxas wore a look of concern.

"I'm not angry," Xion clarified. "I'm just… I don't know. It's been a while since we last hung out."

"It's only been a few days!" said Roxas with a chuckle.

"I guess…" Xion rubbed her arm. "I honestly still would've preferred it be just us."

"Oh…" Roxas's shoulders drooped. "Well, we have today and the rest of summer. Naminé and Kairi are leaving soon too."

Xion perked up. "You brought that up earlier today when you were talking about Kairi. What do you mean they're leaving early?"

"Well, their school ended before ours, so they start before us too. Not only that, but their father wanted them to go home a few weeks early. It explains why Sora, Riku, and Kairi went to Disney all of a sudden," Roxas said. "I think they're leaving the week after next."

"Oh. Is that why… you know what, never mind." Xion didn't want to know the answer. "And you're right. We have today and the rest of summer."

"I think that's her!" Roxas suddenly exclaimed. He pointed to a car coming up the street. He turned to Xion. "You have to see her parallel park. She— hey!" He turned back to see that Naminé drove right by the open spot in front of him and pull into the parking lot across the street.

"You were saying?" Xion got out of the car with a smirk. She waited with Roxas for Naminé to cross the street. As the blonde approached them, Xion couldn't help but feel insecure. Naminé was wearing a simple white dress with sandals. It made her thin body appear curvy in all the right places, and she seemed to glow under the light of the setting sun. How could any guy ignore that? Xion felt like she was underdressed in her t-shirt and denim shorts. Suddenly she began to regret wearing even sneakers. Should she have dressed more feminine? How was she supposed to get Roxas's attention when he was around a girl like Naminé?

"You drove right past an open parking spot!" Roxas said with a laugh when Naminé was close enough.

"Did I? I just went toward the first spot I saw, which happened to be in a _parking lot_," Naminé responded with a giggle.

"You're never going to learn if you never practice!"

"I won't have to with all these parking spaces around. Quite frankly, I'll probably never have to parallel park." Naminé turned to Xion and smiled. "Hello again, Xion!"

Xion smiled and waved lamely. At least someone remembered that she was there. "Hi. Don't mind me. Continue to banter to your heart's content."

"Well _I'm_ done here. You ready to go, Roxas?" Naminé began walking toward their destination.

Roxas was hot on her heels. "I was going to ask if you wanted to wait here a little more since it was so fun, but you seem to have made up your mind."

Xion followed both of them. If she didn't understand the gravity of their relationship, she sure did now. Roxas followed her around like a puppy, and Xion couldn't help but feel disgusted by the way they seemed to talk to each other. It was a flirtatious teasing, and she had never seen Roxas act so interested in someone. Naminé seemed to command his eyes, and her laugh put a smile on his face as if it were a reflex.

In her analysis, Xion noticed a little too late that Roxas was about to make contact with a street sign. "Roxas! Watch—"

Too late. Roxas smacked his face into a speed limit sign. While Xion ran over to make sure he was all right, Naminé doubled over in laughter.

"Roxas, are you okay? You need to watch where you're going!" Xion got in front of him to check for damage. Thankfully, Roxas appeared to be fine.

He rubbed his nose before laughing with Naminé. "Yeah, I realize that now, thanks." He looked over at Naminé. "Thanks for the warning!"

"I was— I wasn't—" The blonde couldn't even get a sentence out.

Xion rolled her eyes. It wasn't even funny. "Are you sure you're okay?"

"I'm fine, Xion. Man, that's embarrassing." He trudged on and walked alongside Naminé, trying to get her to stop laughing.

Xion silently fumed. Why was she laughing so much, and why wasn't Roxas bothered by it? He wouldn't have acted that way just a week ago. Since when did they get all buddy-buddy with each other?

There was no line inside the parlor, so all three were able to order at their leisure. Since Naminé seemed to be pondering her choice, Xion went first and ordered a sea-salt ice cream. Roxas ordered the same thing. As he paid for Xion's, he turned to Naminé. "Why don't you try sea-salt this time?"

Xion looked back, and for a moment she met Naminé's eyes. The blonde turned to Roxas. "If you insist… one sea-salt ice cream please!"

Xion didn't understand why a simple order pissed her off so much. Was Naminé ordering that ice cream to impress Roxas or something? She obviously never tried it before, so why now? Xion looked at the ice cream in her hand. Was Naminé trying to match her or something? There _had_ to be a reason why Naminé chose to get sea-salt ice cream today of all times, and Xion couldn't help but think it had to do with her.

Roxas, on the other hand, beamed over the order. Anyone watching could have assumed that the simple ice cream order was as momentous as the delivery of his firstborn.

"Try it!" Roxas urged.

Xion wanted to slap him. No, Roxas. She was planning on holding it the whole time.

"It's… it actually tastes salty!" Naminé exclaimed.

Xion wanted to slap her too. No, Naminé. They named it sea-salt ice cream for shits and giggles. It was actually supposed to taste like chocolate.

While the other two marveled over the taste of their ice cream, Xion ate silently. She sent an icy glare Naminé's way, but the blonde was too busy laughing about something Roxas said that wasn't all that funny. Was that all it took? Xion thought Roxas was better than that. Hell, if she knew all she had to do was laugh at _everything_ he said, they probably would've been dating by now. Well, maybe not. She'd have to incorporate a few of the hair flips Naminé seemed to do every couple seconds. What was that all about? Was there something crawling in her hair or something?

The two teens continued to exchange their awfully flirty words and jabs. If she wasn't eating something so good, Xion was sure she would've thrown up. Did they act like that when they pretended to be a couple? No wonder why the ice cream people didn't suspect them. They matched disgustingly well together.

That was probably what bothered Xion most. Roxas and Naminé had a lot of time to get to know each other, and since they had so much in common, they discovered how easy it was to get along. When she wanted them to be friends, Xion knew a close relationship— romantic or not— would follow. She just wished it wasn't so… gross.

"What are you doing after this?" Roxas asked. It took Xion a moment to realize he was talking to Naminé.

"I have nothing planned, so I guess I'll lock the house down and watch a movie," Naminé answered. "Why? Do you want to come over?"

"He can't." As soon as the words left her mouth, Xion wanted nothing more than to crawl into a hole and hide.

"He can't?" Naminé asked skeptically.

Xion inwardly groaned. Why did she say that? It was no use now. She had to give a reason. "He has to work tomorrow, and given the fact that he's gotten about five hours of sleep since you had him drive to Disney with you, I think it's safe to say that going over someone's house and driving late are both bad ideas." Xion exhaled. That was a good excuse.

Roxas appeared to agree. "Yeah, I did fall asleep on her after work. And I feel fine now, but I don't know how I'll feel later," he explained. "You're welcome to come over my place though so you're not alone."

Xion gaped. Did he just say that? _Seriously?_ Was he listening to her at all when they were waiting for Naminé in the car?

"Really?" Naminé looked up as she considered the option. Her eyes met Xion's for a split second again. "Sure, I'll follow you home."

What the _hell_ was that?

That had to be intentional. There was no way in the world that was an innocent decision. It _had_ to be a decision designed to spite her. It was such a… a bitch move! Xion looked right at her the moment before she said anything. Naminé had to have known that Xion wouldn't like that. And Roxas! Did he ignore her in the car, or did he magically forget what they talked about before he got all mushy over Naminé's _charming_ presence? Xion was sure she said she preferred that it be just them. It was supposed to be two best friends hanging out.

"Well if you're ready now, let's head out. You ready to go, Xion?"

Xion didn't bother hiding her glare when she looked at Roxas. "Yes, let's get to the car right now. Better to be quick, right?"

Xion essentially stomped her way to the car, this time making sure to walk in front of them. Not only did she miss all the crap going on behind her, but they were forced to keep up with her quickened walking pace. When they reached the car, Naminé told them she had to stop at home before coming over. Xion was glad that something finally went her way. With Naminé making a stop, it gave her time to talk to Roxas.

She didn't waste a second. "We need to talk," she said as she slammed the door behind her.

"About?" Roxas was still smiling from his conversation with Naminé. He looked over his shoulder and merged into the street when it was clear.

"What you did just now. Why did you tell Naminé she could come over?" Xion asked.

"Why do you sound so angry?" Roxas asked defensively. "Am I not allowed to invite people over?"

"You are, but I _told_ you I preferred that it just be you and me." Xion crossed her arms. She could feel the anger getting into her voice.

"Oh. Sorry," Roxas apologized sheepishly. "I forgot."

Xion groaned. "It was like ten minutes before you offered her! You forgot what I said in that amount of time? Seriously?"

"I already said sorry! And I can't just uninvite her. That's mean!"

"That's mean?" Xion screeched. "Mean? Are you kidding me? She's not heading in the direction of her house or anything. No, it'd be wildly inconvenient for her if you called right now."

Roxas glared at her. He had no idea where this aggression was coming from, but her attitude immediately set him off. "All right, what's your problem? All of a sudden you're flipping out on me and you didn't even give me a reason why."

"I did give you a reason! You freaking invited her over when I said that I wanted to hang out with you!"

"And we're going to hang out!" Roxas said in exasperation. "Just because Naminé's coming over doesn't mean we're not going to!"

"Really? How many words have you spoken to me since we left the car for ice cream?"

"You're blaming me for that?" Roxas asked in surprise. "You were the one who was quiet the whole time. Since when was I responsible for making you talk?"

Xion rolled her eyes. "Yeah, that's what I meant. I wasn't referring to the fact that you were totally entranced by her the entire time or anything."

Roxas's eyes widened. "So you're jealous? Is that what it's all about?"

"I'm not jealous!" Xion retorted hastily. "I just think it _sucks_ that you won't even spend your free time with me, your best friend!"

"Well then what the hell do you call this, Xion? We were getting along just fine until you suddenly exploded!"

"Oh my freaking— ugh!" Xion covered her face in frustration. "You're always like this! You never admit that you're the wrong one and even when you apologize, you make no move to fix anything!"

"How is this my fault?"

"Because you still don't have a legitimate reason for ignoring what I asked!" Xion yelled. "Just try and justify that without sounding like an ass."

"I don't understand why having Naminé around is such a problem! Xion, you were the one that wanted me to be friends with her in the first place, but now you're getting mad at me for doing just that. How about you try explaining the sudden change of heart? You think you're the only one confused right now?" Roxas slammed on the brake, causing the car to jerk forward. They skidded to a halt at a yellow light.

"No! I have a right to be pissed!"

"Well at the beginning of this conversation, I'm pretty sure you said you weren't mad. Guess that makes you a liar!"

"And I guess this whole thing makes you a douche!" Xion yelled back. "I just wanted to hang out with you, Roxas! Not only do I not get to do that, but you're about to give that time to a girl you just spent twenty-seven hours with! Twenty-seven hours, Roxas! Are you serious? You moved an entire work day for her. Not only that, you woke up early in the morning and stayed up an entire night with her.

"I don't get it. I'm your best friend, but when have you ever worked me into your schedule? Never. Then Naminé comes along and suddenly you're allowed to change your work hours, you're going on these surprise Disney trips, and you're sleeping over her place. Not only that, but your time with her affects your time with your other friends."

Roxas continued to stare forward, his jaw set and his face carved in a defiant glare. He remained quiet.

Xion took that as her cue to continue. "How do you think I feel now? I was perfectly fine getting less than half a day with you after work. I didn't care. I just wanted to spend time with you. But then you fell asleep— and the only reason for that is because she kept you up talking— and then you went and invited her over now. What am I supposed to think?"

"Why is it such a big deal that Naminé comes over? You wanted me to be her friend, I'll still be around to hang out with you, and it's more fun with more people anyway," Roxas mumbled.

"More fun for you, Roxas! Am I not fun enough or something?"

"Xion, don't get started on that. I'm not inviting Naminé over because you're not fun. I'm inviting her because she's a friend— a friend you pushed me to make— and I think you should hang out with her too."

"Well I don't want to hang out with her right now! I wanted to hang out with you!" Xion said. Why wasn't he getting any of this? Moreover, why was he so insistent that he wasn't wrong?

"She's alone at home, Xion!"

"And she was perfectly fine the whole day, wasn't she?"

"Why are you so against hanging out with her? She's not even going to be here much longer! We'll have three and a half weeks or something to hang out!"

"Because you keep giving her all your attention!" Xion exclaimed. She knew she sounded whiny, but it was true. "I'm here too, Roxas! And I get it. She's a new friend and that's exciting. When you get new friends though, you're not supposed to ignore your old ones." Xion crossed her arms and bitterly added, "You probably like her."

The way she said it set something off. Roxas looked at Xion like she had thrown the worst possible insult his way. "What was that?"

Xion was a little intimidated from his glare, but she refused to back off. He was finally on the same level of anger, and she wanted him to feel every ounce of it. "You heard me. All it took was a little eyelash batting, a giggle at a joke here and there, and one of the million hair flips she did in the past half-hour. It only took a little feminine charm on her part."

"Do you hear yourself right now?" Roxas shook his head. "I can't believe you. I have never seen you act like this, Xion. Make fun of me all you want, I can take it. But do not— and I really mean this when I say it— do not talk about Naminé like that, especially 'cause you would and could never say it to her face."

His words pushed her to the verge of tears. "Of course you'd defend her. I knew you would. Why would you listen to your best friend? Why would you apologize for brushing me off at the chance of hanging out with her more? No, it's all about how mean _I'm_ being to Naminé. You probably think she's innocent."

"I am _not_ brushing you off!" Roxas yelled. "And so what if I like Naminé? Am I not allowed to like girls? Am I not allowed to talk to other girls just because you're my best friend? She's freaking leaving soon anyway! You can't wait that long? You don't own me, Xion. I'm allowed to hang out with whomever I want, when I want."

"You're an asshole, Roxas."

Xion couldn't hold it in anymore. Frustration, annoyance, and rage spilled from her body, and tears began to fall from her eyes. In a matter of seconds, she was a weeping mess. She tried her best to hold in her sobs, but her body shook uncontrollably.

Roxas swallowed hard. Much of his anger dissolved and was soon replaced by guilt. How did it happen? One second he was blind with rage, and the next he felt like he ruined someone. If there was one thing in the world Roxas wanted to avoid, it was making a girl cry. He never enjoyed it, not even when he and Naminé were fighting. The fact that he pushed his best friend to tears tore a hole in his heart. "Xion…"

She shook her head. "No. Leave me alone."

Roxas felt his heart drop in his chest.

The remainder of the car ride was filled with the sound of Xion's sobs. As soon as the car turned off in the driveway, Xion opened her door. She walked straight to her car, wiping her tears along the way.

"Xion, wait! I'm sorry!" Roxas followed after her. "Xion! Come on!"

Xion didn't spare him a second and parted with only a few words. "Have fun with her, Roxas." She got into her car and drove off, leaving Roxas standing helplessly in his driveway.

Once outside his neighborhood, Xion pulled into a parking lot and cried. She leaned on the steering wheel and furiously wiped her tears. She was angry, embarrassed, and sad at the same time. Was she wrong for feeling angry? Maybe it was her fault. If she never made Roxas befriend Naminé, none of this would have happened. She was dealing with the consequences or her own actions.

But given the circumstances, why didn't she feel wrong? She felt so justified— so in the right— about being angry. Was it wrong to want to spend some quality time together with her best friend? Naminé literally had more than a day with him. All Xion wanted was a few hours, and he couldn't afford that. When did her best friend become so distant? When was she replaced?

Just thinking about it set a heavy pain over her chest. She didn't want to think about it. Nothing hurt more than the thought of losing her best friend. This very scenario was the reason why she kept her feelings for him a secret. She didn't want to lose him.

Yet she felt like it happened anyway.

Her tears rolled down her face and dropped onto her lap, one by one. She took out her phone, highlighted a name, and stared at the number. Never before had she felt so low. She pressed the call button and waited.

"Hey, Xion! What's up?"

Xion sniffled into the phone. His voice had never been so comforting. "Riku… I think I screwed up."

* * *

><p><strong>Redeeming Endeavor: <strong>Huge thanks to those of you who favorited or subscribed to this story! I wonder if we can break 400 across the board.

Reviews, on the other hand... it's on a fast track to breaking a thousand, which is insane. Huge thanks to **Spellbound a.k.a soragirl4ever, Lil Leif, dramamamapwnsall, TheWitchNamine, Versivalia, Squishy Moogle, BruHaeven, typewrite, animeluv3, withwateringeyes, chibixbabe, GreyPurpleBlack, Burai Stelar, dreamingleaf7, seecret, NightmaresInNeurosis, li'miss sunshine, xXxGothicButterflySpiritxXx, Lupus7, KurukiXV, EnterAbyss29.91, Tenshi Yami- Angel of Darkness, Caramelized, Gear001, vicucha, Kingdom13, namiroku, Nathonamore the White Raven, Justice333, GummyDrive, Ash09, TwinToshiro, Crepe-lover, Brown Eyed Sage XxKeyOfHeartxX, Stardust987, kingdomheartsoverload a.k.a il, Cheshire Blue101, Hegodart, sinnerblast, Omega!, shadowwulfx, FromSoraXWithLove, SeDdIeLuVeR13, Script Savage, Abominable-IcePrincess, Muledragon, A Story in The End, Angelgirl18647, Marionette of Ancient Relics, SummonerDagger88, Guest!, Pili1995, Rescued-Doll, domi estheim, RoxasLuvsCookies, Katie ox, PumpedUpKyx, AmberMath12, **and** Paopu Fruits and Sea-salt Bars!** You guys rock.

Chapter Data- Total Editing Time: 718 minutes. Word Count: 8,640. 20 Chapter Checkpoint: 13687 minutes (~228 hours). True Word Count: 161,887 prior to 7/21/12. 769 reviews, 288 favorites, 272 alerts, and 56,218 hits!

Harmless Author Fact #21: I used to play the online MMORPG Runescape in my early teen years! I logged on recently with a reader, so if you play and want to arrange a time to meet in-game, let's do it!

Thanks for reading guys. Take care, and I'll see you around!


	22. The Big Bang

Chapter 22: The Big Bang

A whole week passed without a word from Xion.

Roxas stared at his reflection and ran a hand through his hair. He had never spent such a long time without talking to his best friend. Her absence was entirely foreign to him, and every night he remembered their last conversation together.

Had it not been for Naminé, Roxas would probably be a mess. When Xion walked out on him, Naminé was there to fill the void. It was a strange timing, one that seemed almost too good to be true. Minutes after Xion left, Naminé appeared with a bright smile on her face. It was infectious, and soon Roxas was smiling and laughing like he hadn't been ditched by his best friend. Moreover, the reason for Naminé's tardiness was because of a newly baked pie.

They finished it together that same night.

Roxas laughed at the memory. For the past week, his time with Naminé was always the best part of his day. Every time he began to feel something missing within him, she would appear and he'd smile again. He did it without regrets too. He wasn't going to feel sorry for himself, nor was he going to feel guilty for hanging out with a girl he liked.

Though the current Xion might've desired something different, the best friend he knew wanted him to enjoy every moment. Xion always wanted the best for him in the past. She would have wanted him to have fun with Naminé too.

Though her change was disturbing, Roxas thought it was better to let it leave her system. Anytime they had a small argument, she tended to drift away for hours at a time and cool down. Maybe this time she needed a whole week.

At least, that was what Roxas told himself. He made calls and sent texts, but never received an answer.

A knock at the door stole his attention. He looked over to see Sora peeking inside. "You ready to go, Rox?" his brother asked.

"Yeah. I'll be right out." Roxas collected his belongings and made his way downstairs. Sora was already walking out the door, leaving Roxas to lock up the house. As he finished securing the place, he caught sight of his reflection in the window. He glanced at his old clothes, glad to know he didn't care much for them.

The long-awaited day of paintball finally arrived. He and Sora were heading over to Naminé's before heading over to the arena, where they'd meet the rest of their friends. On one hand, he was brimming with excitement over the fact that Naminé agreed to attend and play on his team. He was looking forward to seeing how she'd handle the stress of the game and, though in secret, half-hoping that it'd be hilarious. On the other hand, he was hoping that his arrival at the arena would also be a reunion with his best friend.

He was supposed to play alongside Axel and Xion, after all. There was no way she'd miss this match against his brother and friends.

* * *

><p>Naminé jumped in surprise as her twin burst into her room in a hurry.<p>

"Nam, do you still have those old clothes from the beginning of summer?" Kairi didn't wait for an answer and began shuffling through her sister's closet.

Naminé rolled her eyes. "It's all on the top rack. You're lucky I've been really lazy about that."

"Well, we still have a week and a half here to donate it. Or were you planning on saving them for future paintball matches?" Kairi picked an old paint-stained pair of shorts and a t-shirt from the stacks of clothes.

Naminé ignored her sister's question and carefully applied her make-up. "I always forget how close our departure date is." She stepped away from the mirror of her dresser and said, "Summer went by quickly, didn't it?"

"Way too fast," Kairi agreed. "It wasn't so bad, right? You came here expecting the worst, if I recall correctly."

Naminé grinned. It was true: she expected to hate her summer, but it turned out to be the best one yet. "Yeah, it turned out okay."

"Don't do that, Nam. Admit you had fun! Own it!" Kairi teased as she examined her neck. "Repeat after me: this was the best summer vacation ever. I had a lot of fun."

Naminé rolled her eyes, but did as she was told. "This was the best summer vacation ever and I had a lot of fun."

"I even found a guy I liked!"

"Did you, Kairi?" Naminé giggled. "I'm really happy for you. Then again, I think we all saw it coming."

"You're supposed to repeat after me," Kairi replied.

"Even if it doesn't apply?" Naminé returned.

"Oh, but it does, doesn't it?" Kairi hopped on the bed and lay next to her sister. "I've been keeping an eye on you. Don't think your time with Roxas has eluded me."

"I don't doubt that, but have you ever considered that you might be reading into it a bit too much?" Naminé asked.

"That's how I work. I see the things I want to see and hope I end up right," Kairi joked.

"At least you're aware of it." Naminé stared at the ceiling. More often than not, Kairi was right anyway. The redheaded twin seemed to know where to place her bets despite unfavorable odds.

"What do you guys do with your time, anyway? He's over just as much as Sora. Are you copying us?" asked Kairi with a glint in her eye.

"We talk, mostly." Naminé turned around when Kairi started changing her clothes.

"Mostly, huh?" The redhead looked herself over in the mirror. "My boobs definitely got bigger."

"Small old clothes do wonders for your ego," Naminé teased.

"You're just jealous."

The doorbell rang at that moment, cutting their conversation. Naminé allowed her sister to get the door and remained in her room. She couldn't help but succumb to the tug at the corner of her mouth, and soon she found herself smiling broadly on her bed.

"I hope you're wearing something you don't care about!" Roxas sang as he walked into the bedroom. He nudged her knee with his own. "You better not be tired. We need you to bring your A-game today."

Naminé removed the arm she draped over her eyes and caught Roxas staring at her. She stretched her arms and arched her back, humming as she relaxed her muscles. "And if I'm not in the mood to be shot?"

"Then you'll miss your chance to shoot me for all the bad things I did to you." Roxas jumped onto the bed next to Naminé and propped his head up with his arm.

"I already forgave you for that." Naminé looked him right in the eye. They stared at each other until their stoic faces cracked a smile.

"You haven't really. One does not simply forgive sixteen years of fights and arguments and aggression," Roxas said as he shook his head. "You have to put that energy somewhere."

Naminé mirrored Roxas's pose so that her face was level with his. "You really want to shoot me, don't you?"

"Among other things, yes," Roxas joked. "I've admittedly had a few fantasies."

Naminé felt her face grow warm. She ignored the fluttering in her stomach and walked to the doorway of her room. "Let's go. Sora and Kairi are probably waiting for us."

"I figured we'd have time to ourselves since Kairi led him to her—"

The sound of Sora's scream echoed across the house. "No, Kairi, no! No! Help! _Help!_"

"What is going on in there? Is that Kairi who's laughing like a maniac?" Roxas was suddenly behind Naminé, looking in the direction of Kairi's room. Naminé jumped, unable to hide her surprise.

"You should find out. Tell them we're heading out now too," Naminé said. She turned into the nearby bathroom and locked the door behind her. It was happening again. Whenever she was around Roxas now, she felt off. Even worse, she knew exactly what changed and what was happening.

Attraction.

The obvious scapegoat was hormonal change. She was a teenager, so of course she'd feel a pull, but why Roxas? Before she realized, she went from seeing him as a friend to a possible crush. Was it a crush though? Was she actually crushing on Roxas?

Naminé stared at her face, her eyes widening at the sight of her intense blush. Why did she have to be so pale? It was so obvious!

"Let's not jump to conclusions," Naminé whispered to herself. She took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. She had to think. What was so attractive about Roxas? It's not like he possessed traits that exclusively belonged to him. Sure, he looked delicious in a bathing suit (something she noticed at the pool a few days ago) and yes, his hair was extremely fun to play with. Not only was it soft, but it bounced back into place no matter how many times she ran her hands through it or tried to flatten it. He never smelled bad either, not even after work when he'd come out with the scent of a wet werewolf that spent a week running in the woods.

Naminé threw a hand over her gaping mouth. It was gross, but true. Roxas never smelled bad. Ever. It had to be stupid pheromones. Perhaps it was nature's way of getting back at her for fighting him so long.

"Okay, think of a non-physical source of attraction," she commanded herself. If she couldn't find reasons beyond physical attraction, then surely it was a stupid crush amplified by her body's chemicals. Her first thought was his personality. That was rotten, right?

No, it wasn't actually. She found it— him, whatever— to be quite likable. Sure, his anger had a lower boiling point than most, but he was, for the most part, a gentleman. Why he hid such a thing behind sexist remarks perplexed her, but maybe it was a method of self-defense when they weren't friends.

Worthy of note was his sense of humor. Perhaps she was biased, but she found Roxas to be just as funny as Sora. There had always been an unspoken perception that Roxas was more serious than his brother, but Naminé found that in the right environment, Roxas gave Sora a run for his money. It might have just been her though. Naminé thought she found almost anything funny, and it didn't take much to make her laugh. Either way, Roxas was good at it.

None if that explained why she was attracted to him in a stronger way though! What made him different? He was fun to be around, but that was the case with all her friends. Why was he the only one that made her feel hot and bothered? It wasn't clear at all. Maybe it was her. Recently, her mind thought it'd be a fun idea to produce steamy dreams every now and then. As a result, anything remotely sexual uttered from Roxas's mouth sent a flurry of dirty thoughts across her head.

And yet she could not bring herself to run away from him. Just days ago she came to terms with how much she enjoyed his attention. Every time he came over, he went straight to her. The very knowledge of that tendency never failed to make her smile. She finally understood why Kairi enjoyed coming to the islands so much: here, there were people who wanted to spend every moment of free time with them. Not a second was wasted, and every day Naminé was saved from boredom by the very boy she used to resist the trip.

She loved it. She loved spending time with Roxas. She enjoyed the phone conversations that went into the next day and she took credit for the times she kept him up before work. She loved how they would trade faces of repulsion when Sora and Kairi did so much as kiss in front of them. And above all, she loved hearing his stories of his experiences, the very life she had so desperately avoided. She secretly told herself that she wanted to do the things he did with his friends. As silly as it was, she wanted to go on a post-midnight drive on the freeway with the windows down without a care for school in the morning. He made the smallest things seem like so much fun.

The best part was that he listened to her too. He always seemed so interested in her mundane life. She was embarrassed to admit that her after-school routine was to go straight home and study and draw. She didn't have her sister's ability to ace a test with less than a collective hour of studying, and she wasn't involved in any sport at all. She had friends, but none that she would want to hang out with every weekend outside of school.

Roxas seemed to understand though. He asked about her hobby, her inspiration, and anything she could talk about for hours. Part of her thought that he already knew the answers, and thus why he asked, but she had to appreciate the sentiment.

Naminé knew she had just over a week left on vacation, and Roxas was helping her make the most of it. Would she miss him when it came time to leave?

"Guys, I think she's pooping. We'll meet you in the car!" Roxas's voice was just outside the bathroom. When Naminé opened the door, Roxas greeted her with a smile. "Finished?" he asked cheekily.

"May I punch you?" Naminé stepped out of the bathroom and walked toward the front door.

"Sometimes your kindness is off-putting. Is there no limit to your benevolence? You would have never asked before." Roxas followed her out and waited for her to lock the door.

"I've grown fonder of you, that's all. Next time I'll even say 'please' when I ask to hurt you."

* * *

><p>Xion wasn't there, and by the look of it, she wasn't going to show up at all.<p>

Roxas felt empty inside. Did he really hurt Xion that badly? She had been mad at him before, but never to this extent. Even a tradition couldn't bring her to see him. What happened? They promised to win this year, and even if others were around, it was still an opportunity to come out as victors.

He needed to find Axel. He'd definitely know something.

"What's on your mind? You've been frowning since we got here." Naminé sat next to him on the bench, just outside the registration and rental building. A large group of their friends were conversing at a nearby picnic area, crowding under the shade to avoid the bright sun.

"It's nothing. Have you seen Axel?" he asked.

"Not since we arrived. He went off to talk to the owner. What'd you say his name was?"

Roxas raised a brow and pointed to the sign shaped like a mouse head. The name of the arena was named after the man. "Mickey?"

"Oh. That's embarrassing." Naminé flushed and made herself seem as small as possible.

"Happens to the best of us," he replied. He didn't expect to receive a poke to his side. "Hey! What was that—" Another poke. "Hey!"

"What's wrong? Can't stop me? Huh?" Naminé poked and prodded away until Roxas grabbed her hands.

"Stop it!" He held the offenders tightly in front of him. "That tickles!"

"That's the point. You should smile more. You're cuter that way," Naminé said. She received a blank stare. "Hmm. That's strange. Compliments usually make people happy."

"Wait, did you say that just because, or did you mean it?" Roxas sat up straight.

"Why does it matter?" Naminé leaned in closer. "Do you want me to find you cute?"

"I mean, it's not that important to me really, but knowing the level of sincerity affects how happy I get." Roxas paused. Something about the way he said it made him feel like he revealed too much. He quickly added, "You know, because any girl saying something like that is flattering when she means it. If she says it without meaning it, it's not the same, so like… yeah."

The sight of Naminé biting her lip sent a shiver down Roxas's spine. It was an attempt to keep a smile from surfacing, but the failure produced an entirely different look. "I'm going to join everyone over there. You should go too. It's scientifically proven that friends help people smile," Naminé said. She stood up and sauntered off, leaving Roxas alone on the bench again.

Roxas eventually chose solitude. It didn't take long before Axel appeared. The older boy sat down with a sigh and stretched his arm over the backrest of the bench.

"I don't think Xion's coming," Roxas stated.

"She won't be. I called her a few minutes ago and she said she has to stay home." Axel turned to Roxas. "What happened between you two? I've never seen you guys fight like this."

Roxas looked toward the group. "She thought I was ignoring her for Naminé. I tried to explain that Naminé was going to leave soon anyway, but she didn't buy it. Was I wrong for thinking we'd have the rest of summer to spend time with each other?"

Axel shook his head. "Oh boy. That explains everything."

"She was just being jealous, right?" Roxas asked for confirmation.

"I'd say it's more complex than that. Give her time to fix herself." Axel checked his phone and stood up. "Come on. Get everyone together so we can start handing out the rentals. We have a game to play."

* * *

><p>Naminé adjusted the pads on her arm with a sigh. If not for the clouds, the sun would be beating the sweat out of her. She was never one for physical activity, so the thought of getting sweaty and dirty sparked some reluctance.<p>

At least she wouldn't have to worry about getting hurt. When the equipment was distributed, Roxas pulled her aside and told her to suit up. The armor covered her entire torso, thighs, and arms, leaving little room for lasting bruises. When she asked Roxas if he had to pay extra, he shook his head. Apparently it was Xion's.

"Isn't that just precious?" Axel cooed as he approached the blonde.

Naminé turned around to see Axel wearing a similar top. From the looks of it, his skin was bare beneath the charcoal armor vest. Naminé tore her eyes away from his lean but muscular arms. "What is?"

"You. Weeks ago you didn't want to play laser tag, now here you are today, decked out in paintball gear. He even gave you knee pads!" Axel knocked on them for emphasis. "You'll be shooting the place up, won't you?"

"I've never played before, so probably not," Naminé replied timidly.

"Half the people here haven't. You'll be fine." He patted her hard on the shoulder. "Well, he's glaring at me. See you at the arena."

Naminé followed Axel's line of sight to see Roxas approaching with a scowl on his face. As he passed his best friend, the redhead nudged Roxas with his elbow, knocking him off balance. Roxas shoved back and walked the rest of the way with a grudging smile. He handed Naminé a facemask when he reached her. "Put it on," he instructed. The top half was transparent like a visor, and the lower half had slits for breathing. The facemask fit snugly and protected more than half her head, extending far enough to cover beyond her ears.

"How do I look?" she asked jokingly.

"Better than ever!" The huge grin on his face told an entire story. He must've been waiting to deliver that one all day.

"Give me the gun." Naminé held her hand out in response. She was immediately surprised by the weight of it and gripped it with two hands, mirroring the stance Roxas took.

"A few things to note," Roxas started, "that right there, the giant thing with the lid? That's the hopper. They're pretty much the magazines, or clips, or whatever semi-equivalent you'd like to call it."

Naminé stared blankly at him. What did reading material and office supplies have to do with paintball?

Roxas slapped his forehead. "The ammo, Naminé. It's where we put the ammo."

"Oh!" Naminé dragged the vowel in realization. "Why didn't you just say so?"

"This here is the air tank." Roxas pointed to a similar-looking apparatus attached to the gun. "We should have enough air to last us throughout the real matches. We'll use up the rest in the free-for-all."

"So this is what provides the force behind the shots?" Naminé asked.

"Yup. Doesn't seem like much, but they do fire stingers." Roxas then pointed to the end of the gun. "You have a barrel sleeve on right now. We take these off only in the arena. Same thing with the safety switch here." Roxas used his finger to show a small switch on his gun.

Naminé took a moment to find the safety on hers. "Is it on right now?"

"Definitely. Red means it's off. Guns are hot, or active, when the red side is showing. Got that?" Roxas waited for a nod, then put on his mask. "These stay on the entire time if we're in the arena. Do not take it off under any circumstance."

"Even if I get shot in the face?" Naminé wondered.

"Even then. In fact, you want to be shot in the face."

Naminé rolled her eyes. "This joke isn't funny."

"It's not a joke though. If you weren't wearing armor right now, where do you think the least painful shot would land?" Roxas waited for Naminé to reach the right conclusion. "Exactly. You'll know immediately when you're out, and you won't feel a thing."

"Thanks for the tip," Naminé said.

"Now you know not to hesitate to take a peek from behind cover! Now let's go shoot some things."

* * *

><p>It would have been more appropriate if Roxas had said "shoot <em>someone<em>" instead. In one moment, Naminé thought Roxas would lead her to a practice area of sorts. In the next, she found herself on the tail end of a safety lecture that repeated everything Roxas had already told her.

"Divide into your teams now. Sleeves and safeties stay on until I say otherwise," the referee said. The group divided into their practice match teams. Naminé surveyed her teammates, identifying Axel, Roxas, Kairi, and Pence. The opposition consisted of Sora, Riku, Hayner, Selphie and Olette. It was conveniently arranged so that each team had two inexperienced players.

"So how'd the private lesson with Roxas go?" Kairi asked as she pulled down her mask. Her hair was pulled up into a ponytail, something Naminé wished she had remembered to do.

"Lesson? He told me everything that guy just said." Naminé pointed to the ref with a finger. She was glad she remembered not to point with her gun.

"Aww! That's no fun!" Kairi scoffed before turning to the guys. "Hey! You guys ready to go or what?"

Naminé groaned. Her sister's competitive side was coming out.

The enthusiasm spread quickly. "Get pumped! It's game time!" Axel went around the group, slapping high fives all around. "They can call this a practice as many times as they want, but we all know what this is for. This is for the glory, the spot in the history books, the—"

"Oh look, they're going." Roxas walked off, following the other team into a netted partition.

"I wasn't done!" Axel growled. "Screw it. Let's kick some ass!"

Kairi howled and jogged to catch up. She waved her hand, demanding Naminé to follow. After sharing a nervous glance with Pence, the two made their way to the rest of the team.

Naminé watched the other five— now enemies— line up in a similar area across the small arena. The partition reminded her of a baseball dugout, only this one was above ground and separated by netting. Another safe area flanked the woodland clearing. The arena itself was smaller than she imagined: a rough guess yielded a field of as long as two school buses. Intentionally placed around the area were tall metal barrels and plywood walls that stretched a little higher than her shoulders.

One thing Naminé foresaw correctly was the color. Both the ground and the artificial obstacles were painted with time and experience. Neon greens, pinks, and yellows covered every barricade on the sides facing center. The colors became more vibrant the closer they got to the middle, where a large tire— now similar to a color wheel— provided cover for both sides. It must have been a part of a threatening monster truck back in its glory days since the diameter was longer than her body. Given the tire's colorful attire, any truck dressed with it would lose its fear-inducing credibility.

A whistle tore through her thoughts, and suddenly everyone was running. Though slightly delayed, Naminé crouched behind the closest barrel and leaned against it. Much to her grief, she discovered that the barrel was covered in a mixture of dirt, oily grime, and old paint. A shrill squeak passed her lips. She severely misjudged the mess and began wiping her arms with her hands.

"What are you doing back here? You won't be able to hit anything," Roxas said as he slid beside her.

Naminé ducked her head a little lower when she heard a paintball splatter near her. "That means it'll be harder for them to hit me too, right?"

"Not necessarily." Roxas stood at half height, just enough to raise his shoulders and gun above the barrel. He let off a few shots before ducking again. "Give it a try. You shouldn't be afraid."

"What's the matter, Sora? Why are you hiding?" Kairi yelled with a maniacal laugh.

"Kairi, stop! We're trying to teach them here!" Sora whined.

"I think my sister's got it locked, so I'll just stay here," Naminé said with a cheeky smile.

Roxas groaned. He took her hand and dragged her out into the open. "Come on!"

"Are you crazy?" Naminé screamed. She was going to get shot!

"Run!" Roxas pulled her closer to the battlefront, weaving their way around various objects for cover. They settled behind a wooden wall with a small slit in the middle. "Wasn't that fun?" he asked happily.

Naminé was breathing heavily already. "We could have gotten shot!"

"Big deal. It'll eventually happen anyway." Roxas peeked through the small opening. "Take a look. We don't have a good vantage point from here, but you can at least survey the enemy's side."

Naminé cautiously glanced through the slit. She saw the end of Sora's shoe a few steps away. "Sora's behind the barrel here!" she whispered.

"Yeah, but we don't have a clear shot. He's with Selphie doing the same thing we are," Roxas explained. "Take a shot anyway. Let them know that we know where they are."

Naminé drew in a large breath and slowly tilted her head beyond the side of the wall. She raised her gun and pulled the trigger, but nothing happened. "My gun's not working!"

Roxas chuckled. He reached over, pulled the sleeve off the barrel, and then clicked the safety switch. "You left everything on."

"Right, sorry." She flushed in embarrassment. She repeated her earlier action, shooting two paintballs into the barrels. She ducked behind the wall again and cheered. "It worked!"

"Congratulations." Roxas smirked. "Try hitting someone this time."

Naminé took a long look around the arena, raised her gun, and turned the corner. Before she could get a shot off, she felt a hard tug on her shoulder, pulling her back into cover. A few paintballs whizzed by and splattered against a barrel behind them.

"What happened to practice, Riku?" Roxas yelled from their hiding spot.

"I don't know! Why don't you ask that psychotic redhead?" he replied loudly.

"Hey! I'm helping Pence!" Axel defended.

"My bad. I meant _our_ psychotic redhead."

Roxas and Naminé turned their gaze on a guilty-looking Kairi. "What? I'm just playing the game!"

Roxas shook his head and turned to Naminé. "Be glad your sister is on our team for this practice round. She'll be pretty… annoying."

"I heard that!"

* * *

><p>The fourth match was the first time Naminé was among the last two people standing.<p>

It took her three matches over two different venues, but she was finally among the last few participants. Her lone teammate, Roxas, was darting around the fort, trying to hold off the approaching attack.

Sora, Riku, and Kairi were all advancing on their fortress. Her sister kept a constant stream of paintballs on Naminé's position, pinning her down. Every time Naminé thought about moving, Kairi seemed to shoot the pathway like she could predict the entire thing.

"Roxas, can you get Kairi off me?" Naminé whined. She hated to be the damsel in distress, but her sister was so damn _annoying_.

"A little busy!" Roxas grunted. She watched him land a shot on Riku, but Sora quickly repaid the favor. Naminé attempted to use the opportunity, but Sora dove away just in time to dodge the shots.

As she stood up to take aim at Sora, a paintball connected with the side of her facemask, splattering over the clear visor. The referee blew the whistle and the match ended.

That made four straight losses for Naminé's team.

"Dang. Sora is tearing it up today," Axel mumbled as his team regrouped. They all began their trek to the bottom of the hill, leaving the fortress to the other team. "Has he gone out once?"

As one of the people out first every match, Naminé had the pleasure of observing the matches from the sidelines. "He hasn't. Roxas got Riku out for the first time last match too, so it's more accurate to say that neither of them have been out when it counted."

"We need to get Kairi out early then," Roxas thought aloud. "Wouldn't that make things a lot easier?"

"No, we need to rush them. Think about it." Axel pointed toward the wooden fort. "They lost their biggest advantage: the rush. Two or three people always rush forward while the others pin us back. They take our mobility away and control space. Their best players are offensive."

"So we want them to stay in the fort?" Roxas asked. "How is that an advantage? They'll have the high ground the whole time. It's not like we can sneak up on them."

"That's why _we_ rush _them_," Axel said with a grin. "Kairi doesn't have great aim. She shoots a lot, but they're concentrated in the same area. Outrun her. We all have single triggers anyway. Keep Sora and Riku in the fort. Keep them trapped and keep them contained."

"How fast can you run?" Roxas turned to Naminé.

"Not fast enough to outrun bullets," she answered flatly.

"Good enough. Five man rush. We're doing it." Roxas bounced on his toes and waited for the whistle to blow.

"Did you hear me? I just said I couldn't run that fast." Naminé looked at Roxas, waiting for him to give an alternative plan. He didn't. "Roxas!"

"We'll be fine. Just stay close to me." Roxas made it seem like the simplest thing in the world. "Axel, we'll start on the right. Hayner, Pence, you run up the left."

"We're going to run uphill?" Pence already looked exhausted.

"Look on the bright side: we have a real chance of sneaking up on Olette and the others," Hayner said. He turned to Roxas and held up his arm. "Race you to the top?"

Roxas bumped his arm in return. "I'll see you there."

The whole team waited at the bottom of the hill. The fort had three levels, with each floor being smaller than the one below. There were three open entrances about the size of a normal door on the left, right, and front faces. A single staircase led to the second level, which had a few windows and slits, while the third served more like a lookout. Naminé recalled that the other team would have to wait in the back of the fort, giving them a little over five seconds to run and find cover. Kairi would most likely make her way to the top of the fort that Roxas called the nest. Would that give them extra time to advance as well?

The shrill sound of the whistle cracked through the air. Roxas grabbed Naminé's hand, and the two were sprinting up the hill. Naminé already lost track of her other teammates: she focused entirely on moving her feet and keeping up with Roxas. They ran until a few shots flew by them. Roxas dragged her to the nearest wooden wall for cover. They slid to a stop behind it.

Naminé's lungs burned with every gasp of air. Her clothing, drenched with sweat under her padding, stuck to her skin. She stared at the ground, trying to get her spinning world in order.

"You all right?" Roxas asked. His breathing was heavier, but he wasn't out of breath.

"I need a second." Naminé looked around and found the rest of her teammates. Hayner and Pence were dashing up the hill on the opposite side until they were pinned behind a row of trees. Axel, crouched behind a rusted car frame, was a little ahead of them in the center of the path. He looked at them and nodded.

"Switch with me," Roxas ordered. Naminé crawled to his side while he stepped over her. He turned from the cover and started shooting.

From the corner of her eye, she saw Axel throw himself into a sprint. Naminé recalled what she saw Riku and Sora do in the previous games. She took a deep breath, then another, and then turned the corner. She ran. She ran forward and upward until she reached the next artificial addition to the hill and leapt to cover. She looked up, surprised to see Axel staring in shock a few yards away.

She heard more paintballs splatter on the other side of her barrier. They saw her.

"Hayner and Pence are charging left!" Kairi called loud enough for their team to hear. Naminé, assuming that her sister was distracted, stood just high enough to get her eyes and gun above the level of cover. She shot at the highest point, releasing a flurry of paintballs at the empty window. She saw another stream hitting the right side, so she kept firing. Someone was covering for her.

"Holy shit," Roxas gasped as he skidded to a halt next to her. "Nice run!"

"Thanks," Naminé replied tersely. She kept her eyes trained on the fort, unrelenting in her attack. Adrenaline coursed through her veins, and for the first time in her life, she felt like she was physically capable of achieving anything. When Roxas stood up to suppress the other team, she made another dash forward. A few seconds later, they were at the doorstep of the fort.

"Ow!"

"I'm out!"

The voices belonged to Kairi and Olette. Naminé guessed either Pence or Hayner got the kills. Right before she took her first step into the fortress, she saw Selphie come down the stairs facing the other direction. She shot once, hitting her square in the back.

"Wha— are you kidding me? I'm out!" Selphie groaned. She held her hands up in forfeit as she made her way to the sidelines.

"One left!" Axel called from the other side of the fort. Naminé was surprised to see him up there. She looked down the hill, spotting Pence and Hayner spreading out. They had switched places with him.

"Is it Sora or Riku?"

Naminé jumped. How did Roxas manage to walk so quietly? "Sora is the only one left. The other four are over there with the referee." Naminé pointed to the group on the sidelines.

"Where could he be?"

"Roxas! Down the hill!" Axel yelled.

Naminé and Roxas rushed to the front of the fort just in time to watch everything come undone. Sora vaulted over barrels, fell into a roll, aimed, and fired. _Pop! Pop!_ Paint splotches appeared on Hayner and Pence. Before Roxas could even raise his gun, Sora dove behind cover. His teammates cheered loudly.

"Cover, now!" Naminé followed orders and ran to the closest wall a few steps down the hill. Roxas followed suit and slammed into the paint-covered barrier. "Axel, he's behind the center wall above the car!" he shouted.

"I know— hey! A little help here, please!"

Naminé and Roxas turned the corner and shot a flurry of paintballs, forcing Sora to duck for cover. Axel dashed toward the center and slipped behind a stack of tires.

Naminé kept on firing, but she noticed that no shots were coming out. She hid again and pulled the trigger a few times. Nothing. She checked the hopper. It was empty. "Uh, Roxas? I have a problem."

"Damn, he's fast…" Roxas mumbled. He looked at her. "What is it?"

"I'm out of ammo."

"Oh. Shoot."

"Roxas, move! He's level with us!" Axel announced.

He didn't hesitate to run down the hill more. He pulled Naminé by the hand and crawled behind the car. "Here, give me your gun." Roxas opened his hopper, but Naminé stopped him.

"We can't. He'll make a run down the hill and get rid of Axel before we're done," Naminé said. Axel proved her point by calling for suppressive fire again. She spoke to Roxas as he shot, "I think this might work. Let me be a decoy and distract him."

"No offense, but I don't think that'll work. He's obviously trying to boil it down to you and him since he's faster and more experienced. You're a non-threat." Roxas's eyes widened. "That's perfect! Give me your gun and take mine."

"How does this help prevent it from boiling it down to me against him?" Naminé asked skeptically.

"We need to let him know that you're out of ammo," Roxas said. He turned the corner again and shot a few times in Sora's direction.

"So we just announce it?"

"We show it. We're going to split up when he approaches. You run toward those barrels, I'll run toward the wall. But before we switch guns and split, we're going to show you're out." Roxas glanced around the corner. "He's getting an angle on Axel. You turn on your side. Fire and show that you're out. He'll see that only one of us is actually shooting. Duck behind, switch, and dash for the sides. Got it?"

Naminé repeated his orders under her breath and nodded. "I really hope this works."

They turned their covers at the same time just as Sora was sliding to a stop near Axel's position. He shot the redhead square in the chest, and then rolled into cover after dodging Roxas's shots. Naminé exaggerated her actions, pulling the trigger a few times before ducking behind cover. She grabbed Roxas's gun just as her own left her fingertips, and a second later they were running away from each other. She heard the sound of shattering paintballs.

None of them were close to her. It worked.

She ran around and back even faster, as if the barrels themselves had a gravitational pull that she could use to slingshot herself across the field. Roxas was already out, but the game had yet to be won. By the time Sora reacted to her, it was too late. She landed shots on his facemask and arm mid-dash. The whistle blew.

The match ended.

Naminé was tackled to the ground and rolled a few times on the momentum. She laughing and cheering and screams of disbelief. She smiled behind the cover of her mask.

"You did it!" Roxas laughed as he squeezed her in a hug. "You did it! We won! You did it!"

Naminé giggled, then returned the bear hug to the boy sitting underneath her. They fell on their side, laughing in the euphoria that followed a hard-fought victory. She didn't know how long they sat there, hugging each other and laughing like they had just won the lottery and a prestigious award at the same time, but she was grateful that nobody stopped them. It felt nice— more than nice. It felt great. It felt great not because they won, but because they were laughing and having fun and Roxas was happy and she was too.

Naminé didn't know how long they sat there, but she was grateful that nobody interrupted them. They eventually had to stop, but they didn't part. Roxas threw his arm over her shoulders and she wrapped her arm around his waist. They joined the rest of the group grinning like idiots.

"Man, I was going to chew you out if Sora won a five on one!" Axel shook his head at Roxas as they approached.

"Sorry we left you out of the plan, but we had it under control." Roxas reclaimed his arm and pulled Axel into a handshake, hug, and slap on the back. Everyone took the time to discuss the game, from Sora's heroics to Naminé's surprise win. Sora explained that he always knew Naminé would run out of ammo by the end of the match, which proved to be his undoing. As soon as he actually saw her firing nothing, he wrote her off and went after his brother.

Naminé congratulated Sora anyway. The round, she said, was a total fluke for everyone but herself. It was the only match that she actually managed to land a hit. Luck would have it that she got two in the same round.

Having prevented a clean sweep, Naminé and her friends made their way to the last venue that featured maze-like trenches. There, they would expend the extra paintballs and the air in their tanks in a free-for-all. As Naminé refilled her hopper, she couldn't help but notice Roxas staring at her. Every time their eyes met, they laughed to themselves as if they shared a private joke.

It was almost the truth. Nobody else knew— nor did they have to— that a simple glance between them was enough to turn them into a giggling and blushing mess.

When everyone made their way to the trenches, Roxas and Naminé walked together in the back. The distance between them was minimized, and there arms occasionally brushed together in the most timid of touches.

"It's every man for himself out there," Roxas said, nodding towards the maze.

"Does it have to be?" Naminé asked airily. "It'd be nice if we would have a partner."

"We can't officially, so…" Roxas leaned in close before putting his mask back on. "How about a secret alliance?"

Naminé pulled her own facemask down and grinned. "Just because it's you, I'll go with yes."

* * *

><p>The ride home felt short, if only because she didn't get to talk with Roxas more. In the car, they were in their own little world. Rather than rubbing their victory in their siblings' faces, they traded jokes and commented on each other's paint-stained appearances.<p>

"You look like you could use a super long shower," she had said when he wiped his arm with a spare towel.

He grinned. "You do too… but pink doesn't look too bad in your hair."

Naminé smiled at the memory as she looked at her reflection. Ever since she got home, the only thing Naminé could think about was the next time she'd see Roxas. Thanks to a long and satisfying shower, she cleaned all of the greasy pink paint from her hair. The sight of her blond locks was very comforting, and though Roxas might have been okay with a conspicuous color, she preferred something that wouldn't attract too much attention.

Sora promised that he and Roxas would return after showering at home, so Naminé passed the time in her studio. She questioned whether or not it was a good idea letting Kairi prepare dinner, but time wouldn't pass quickly enough without work. Kairi was probably going to order take-out anyway.

To keep herself clean and paint-free for the evening, Naminé did most of her work in her sketchbook. In her mind was a perfect memory of Roxas's smile before he hugged her, so she attempted to impose the image on her paper. When did that happen? She had to have seen Roxas smile many times to have such a clear memory of it. She sketched a generic face around the smile, unable to remember the rest. She'd have to see him in person to nail down the curve of his nose and the shape of his bright eyes.

Naminé giggled. At least she had an excuse behind the sheer desire to see him again. It'd be beneficial to her work, at least when he wasn't around.

Time passed quickly in her studio. She had already started working on something else when she heard Kairi answering the front door. After a muffled exchange, she heard footsteps approaching. A grin formed on her face when she heard Roxas calling her. Per usual, he opened the door to her room without knocking.

"Naminé?" he called. "Not in here?"

Naminé rolled her lips into a tight line. Would he find her? Where would he search next? She heard him go down the hall, but he returned a few seconds later. She imagined the perplexed look on his face. What did he look like at that moment of confusion?

She didn't have a chance to ponder it because the door to her studio opened. Roxas stood at the doorway with one hand placed on his hip. "Thanks for answering when I called," he said sarcastically.

"I couldn't. You're not allowed in here." Naminé walked over and blocked him.

"According to whom?"

"Me. This is my private working space," Naminé explained. She brought the door as close to her body as possible, shielding most of the room.

"Is this where you spend most of your time?" Roxas asked.

"When I'm not with you— and other people," Naminé quickly added, "it is."

"Well, I'd apologize for cutting into your art time if there wasn't an easy solution to this problem. Just let me in and keep working," Roxas suggested.

"I can't work with people hovering over me." It was a true statement.

"I won't do that. I'll just look at whatever you have on the walls." His eyes flicked to the parts of the room still visible to him.

Naminé narrowed the opening. "I'd rather you not see that stuff."

Roxas sighed and rubbed the back of his neck. "Come on. I came here because I wanted to hang out with you. If you want to keep working, that's fine, but I'd at least like to be in the same room." He looked her in the eyes. "Let me in. I'll follow all of your rules."

Naminé felt her heart skip a beat. It was the first time he explicitly stated that he came over with the sole intention of being with her. "You promise not to touch anything hanging?"

"I won't."

"You promise you won't bother me?"

"I promise."

"And you promise that you won't make fun of anything you see?"

"I do," Roxas said with a nod. With a sigh, Naminé opened the door again and returned to the chair in the middle of the room. She sat down with her back towards Roxas and buried herself in her work. Roxas remained quiet and closed the door behind him. He was in. He looked to the closest wall before slowly making his way around.

Though Naminé resumed drawing, she watched Roxas moving about the room. Her eyes would flick between him and her work, both demanding her attention. Deciding that she couldn't really work with him in the room, she flipped to a new page and began to idly draw lines and squiggles. Roxas was undoubtedly a distraction, but for some reason, she couldn't muster the willpower to remove him.

She watched him instead. She pretended to draw and observed the observer, wondering what was going through his mind as he scanned the walls with his eyes. His hands were tucked into his pockets, reminiscent of school visitors and art enthusiasts that attended her school's viewing night. Rather than presenting a semester's worth of work, however, Naminé felt like her entire lifetime was on display. It was such an intimate presentation: rather than selecting her best work, Naminé allowed Roxas to see the entire studio.

It was all laid out. The finger-paintings of a toddler taped against the bottom of the wall were right next to the canvas of one of her most recent pieces. Like the rest of her work hanging on the wall, it was one of her better creations. It would have to be mounted on the wall at eye level, readily available for her to see. Every single project was a pillar of sorts, a checkpoint, an indication of improvement and a collective documentary of her development.

Naminé felt like she was naked on stage, paralyzed by a crowd of scrutinizing eyes. Her work spoke volumes. It screamed louder than her voice could ever reach, and Roxas was hearing it all. Why didn't she kick him out? Why did she allow him to see her on full display?

Her breath caught when he turned around to face her. Time seemed to freeze. When she realized he was smiling, the seconds began to tick by and the floodgates within her gave way to relief. Acceptance. He accepted her and he made sure she knew it.

She stood up as he stepped toward her. She thought he would stop in front of her, but he walked past her and instead stared at the opposite wall, the one decorated only by childish chalk drawings. The entire wall was painted a flat black, and the smooth surface was very accommodating of her quickest and oldest medium.

"Why haven't you done anything on the wall this year?" Roxas asked quietly. He must have noticed the dates next to her drawings.

Though tempted to return with a guarded answer, Naminé ignored her urges and said, "I never got around to it."

Roxas moved toward the corner of the room where a small bucket of chalk sat. He looked at her for a brief second before picking a white piece up. He returned to the wall and stared at a blank space.

Naminé's eyes widened. "Wait, what are you doing?"

"I'm going to draw something here so you're guaranteed to have something for this year. Well, maybe not. I'd hate to put something ugly next to everything here," he corrected. "At the very least, I'm signing and dating this day."

It was a challenge. Naminé didn't really have a problem with his intentions, but there was something in his voice that wanted her to try and stop him. His eyes almost begged her to put her foot down. She did. "I don't remember saying you could. You're not supposed to be here in the first place, and now you're trying to draw on my walls?" She placed herself in the space between the wall and Roxas.

"But I am here! I might as well leave my mark in a space you'll never reach, right?" Roxas indicated the space above her head. He had apparently noticed the correlation between drawing placement and her height at the time.

"Who says I'll never reach it?" Naminé retorted lamely.

Roxas raised an amused brow. "Oh, I don't know… biology maybe? Nature? Genetics?" He raised the chalk above their heads.

Naminé quickly grabbed his hand with both of her and pulled down, trapping it against his chest. She held fast, even when he attempted to raise it again. It took all of her arm strength to hold down his hand. "Ha. You're not marking anything while I'm here."

"You're going to have to try a bit harder than that." Roxas moved forward until his entire body was pressing against Naminé. He sandwiched the smaller blonde against the wall, pinning her hands between them. His fingers wiggled the chalk from the tangle of hands and fingers. "And that means you're going to have to find a way to hold down _both_ of my hands." With a smug smile, he plucked the chalk from its place with his other hand.

Naminé blushed, acutely aware of their proximity. Did he notice how hot she felt? Could he hear how fast her heart was beating? "That's not fair," she whimpered. "You're not allowed to use your other hand."

He smirked, writing something that would hopefully remain on the wall for a long time to come. "Roxas and Naminé were here," he said aloud as he accented the last letter of her name. "What's the date today?"

"I'm not telling you."

"Summer and year should suffice," he quipped.

Naminé watched helplessly as he finished his work, hoping he wouldn't notice her blush. He was so close to her, and the feel of his body pressing against her own clouded her thoughts. She expected him to move away when he was done, but she remained firmly pinned against the wall. Before she could say anything, he looked at her. She immediately forgot her words and stared.

Roxas's fingers twitched against Naminé's hand. His free hand, still gripping the chalk, fell to his side. His eyes flicked to the only barricade keeping a reasonable distance between them. He stared at her hands, paused for a second, and timidly fanned his fingers. Slowly, he intertwined them with her own.

Naminé found the small act mesmerizing. She couldn't tear her eyes away from the sight of her hand in his. Were they even her hands at all? She tightened her grip to make sure. Unexpectedly, the smaller hand squeezed. So it did belong to her. The sensations hit her all at once: the warmth of hand, the softness of his skin, the firmness of his grip. She gasped, trying to fill her body with something more than disbelief. She couldn't believe what she saw and felt. Despite the clear sound of his breathing and the comfort brought by the scent she had grown to adore, her mind demanded the last piece of sensual confirmation.

As if sensing her doubt, Roxas used their joined hands to press her free hand against his chest. Naminé thought her fingers were shaking, so she pressed them down. But they didn't stop.

Naminé wondered why the harder she tried to control it, the stronger her fingers resisted the call for stillness. Realization replaced wonder when Naminé processed what she was looking at. Her fingers were behaving just fine. The shaking she thought she was feeling wasn't shaking at all. It was Roxas's racing heart, one beating just as fast as her own.

Part of her mind tried to deny every piece of evidence that pointed toward the obvious, but no words came out. His hand held hers. His heart adopted her rhythm. How could she deny either of their feelings when they were right in front of her?

Roxas placed his free hand on her hip. The lightness of his touch was so shy and innocent, as if he were terrified of being rejected. Naminé made no move to stop him. Soon his arm wrapped around her, pulling their bodies as close as possible.

Their eyes met. The passing seconds revealed how badly they wanted to say something— anything— to each other, but neither could string together the words floating in their heads. Roxas opened his mouth in an attempt to wrestle out a sentence. "Naminé, I…"

He was interrupted by the phone vibrating in his pocket. In the silence of the room, the less intrusive setting sounded like a pounding alarm. Roxas exhaled, but returned his gaze to Naminé with a smirk. Rather than ruining the moment, the distraction ushered in an air of comfort. Both of them looked down at the offender.

"Someone's calling you," Naminé said with a small smile. It was a stupid statement since it was obvious to both of them, but Naminé felt relieved over the ability to speak again.

Roxas freed his hand from hers and reached into his pocket. "Yeah, guess so." He took out his phone and, without checking the caller, threw it on the floor. It bounced a few times on the tile.

"Hey! Now I have another reason to keep you out of this room," Naminé spoke over the vibrating phone.

"Oh yeah?"

"You keep throwing things on my floor."

"I'll pick the chalk up later. Promise." Roxas moved his hand near Naminé's, which had fallen to her side. Their fingers teased each other into a lazy tangle.

"And your phone?" Naminé whispered. "You're so mean to it."

"That's what cases are for. Besides," Roxas said as he leaned closer, "I'm a bit busy right now."

"And why exactly are you so busy?" Naminé asked breathlessly. She couldn't believe the words made it beyond her lips. She supposed her mind allowed it to happen, if only to hear a certain set of words.

Roxas rested his forehead on hers. He slowly closed his eyes as he spoke, "Because I'm trying to convince a girl that used to loathe me that I really, really… _really_ like her."

Naminé closed her eyes and sighed, feeling as light as a feather. She could feel Roxas's breath on her lips. She smiled, waiting for the kiss she so desperately wanted.

"Roxas!"

Both Roxas and Naminé opened their eyes when they heard Sora's distressed call.

"Roxas! Roxas, Naminé! This is really important!"

"Hold on!" Roxas called back. The frustration was obvious on his face as he parted from Naminé. He sent her an apologetic look before opening the door.

Sora thrust his phone at his brother. "It's Riku. He said you weren't picking up. He said it was really important and—"

Unsettled by Sora's urgency, Roxas wordlessly took the phone. "What?" His tone was flat and clearly annoyed.

Naminé pushed off the wall and watched Roxas. The moment was ruined, but something about the way Roxas's face changed sent her disappointment to the back of her mind. In seconds, he went from being annoyed and angry to utterly shocked and surprised. His eyes seemed to glaze over. Did something happen? Naminé wanted to ask, but Roxas seemed so focused on whatever Riku was telling him.

"When did this happen?" Roxas mirrored his brother's distress. "All right. I'm coming over. Stay with her until I get there."

Naminé stood frozen in place as Roxas handed Sora the phone. She didn't need to ask to figure out what was happening.

"I have to take the car," Roxas said to his brother. Sora quickly left the room to fetch the keys. Roxas then approached Naminé. He held her arms— Naminé thought he was going to hug her— but quickly let go and looked down. "I'm sorry. It's Xion, and I— I have to go."

Naminé felt like her chest was torn open and hollowed out. She felt numb and swallowed hard. "Okay," she choked out.

The memory of Roxas turning around and walking away burned itself into her mind. The pain in her chest was unbearable; it felt both heavy and empty at the same time. Unable to stand, Naminé dropped onto the nearby chair, staring at the door and wishing Roxas had left something more with her than just an apology.

* * *

><p><strong>Redeeming Endeavor: <strong>Thanks for the favorites and alerts! I got so many subscriptions, and I think LPA itself got more! It's incredible knowing that all of you are reading this :D

I also got nearly a hundred reviews for that past chapter. Yes, you heard me correctly. I got 93, to be exact. Thank you** typewrite, CheshireBlue101, Dramamamapwnsall, Kingdom13, Justice333, Stardust897, Box, Versivalia, Caramelized, Morbidly Bored, GummyDrive, Guest, xXxGothicButterflySpiritxXx, domi estheim, animeluv3, CarelessWhispers 13, Omega!, vicucha, Gear001, LightningGemini!, Squishy Moogle, Abominable-IcePrincess, D-Ro2593, purpleeninjaaa, AmberMath12, Sapphire Intensity, Brown Eyed Sage, StrawberryGirlKairi, Revenge of the Red Pen, GreyPurpleBlack, EnterAbyss2991, Tenshi Yami- Angel of Darkness, Foxbell, Pili1995, Lil Leif, Zoe the Hunter, Kuroiikawa, Yssa B, Guest, XxKeyOfHeartxX, monkmonkeys, ChosenOne37, Ash09, CosplayerMew, Lucid Stupor, Naivette, Seecret, Burai Stelar, SummonerDagger88, Raye of the Sunshine, XTC-fruits, The Dismotivator, PumpedUpKyx, illusional writer, kingdomheartsoverload, KurukiXV, Crepe-lover, Allied Forces, iVanillelay, RoxasLuvsCookies, Rescued-doll, Gumi Harue, sozic, /amore-amour, Madhatta51, sookdeo, kiralyra14, RedSeaGlassStories, A Story In The End, CJ122, shadowwulfx, Yggdrasil, Chibiness-O-Yeahh, Topaz Tsubasa, Guest, EvanesceAnimi, xoKyorii, Riku's-Way-to-the-Dawn, Happy Reader, zimudra, vanillacookies, Haido Retreat, Marionette of Ancient Relics, Confused-And-Dirty, Otherguy14, yoursoulsmile, mrkhrules, livelaughlove87878, **and** LadyAxel22 **for the reviews!

Harmless Author Fact #22: I'm six feet tall. That's about 183 cm. I always notice people taller than me everywhere I go.

Chapter Data- Word Count: 9939. Total Editing Time: 1400 minutes.

Thanks again for reading, everyone. It's a pleasure writing for all of you. Take care, and see you around!


	23. Absolute Zero

**Redeeming Endeavor**: Last chapter, the main characters spent most of their day playing a few rounds of paintball. After winning their first and only match of the day, they met up again in the art studio. One thing led to another, and then nothing happened because phone calls in stories only happen because they're important.

* * *

><p><span>Chapter 23: Absolute Zero<span>

Buried under the covers of her bed, Naminé turned over to face the cellphone sitting on her night stand. It vibrated again, the screen glowing to life with a missed call and voicemail notification. She stared at it and decided to leave it. She didn't feel like getting up.

As Naminé closed her eyes, she remembered the confrontation that took place just three days ago. The words she spoke that day still rung fresh in her mind.

* * *

><p>She called it Huntington's disease, describing it in a cold and clinical manner, but dumbed down enough to understand what it involved.<p>

"It's almost like a combination of Parkinson's and Alzheimer's. Almost. The symptoms are similar, but fundamentally different," she had said. "They include uncontrollable movements or spasms, dementia, memory loss, depression, irritability. Other things too, I guess."

At the time, Naminé could only nod and listen. She didn't know why Xion had told her any of it. They weren't close friends by any stretch of the imagination. But the day after Roxas left in a hurry, he returned for his phone. He took Naminé along as well, telling her that Xion wanted to speak with her. Naminé had only agreed because Roxas asked. She agreed because they needed to talk about what happened.

They didn't.

Instead, the car ride had been silent. And as soon as they reached Xion's empty house— a house cleared by movers and devoid of any evidence that someone lived there at all— Naminé had been whisked away to an empty bedroom for a spontaneous heart-to-heart with the girl who called Roxas away.

"It's genetic, dominant too. It's partly to blame for my father's death a few days ago. It's also one of the reasons why my mother committed suicide when I was… five? Six? She had it too. It was bad enough that one parent had it, but both? I didn't stand a chance."

"I'm sorry for your loss," Naminé had replied mechanically.

"It was a long time coming. At least he isn't suffering anymore," Xion had said.

Naminé hadn't asked, but she sat through the brief history that was Xion's life in that empty bedroom on that warm summer evening. She had placed herself against the wall right next to the door, far from the window on the opposite side of the room where Xion stood.

Naminé had wondered if she was supposed to feel bad. The whole thing seemed like a last second effort to gain closure. It never made sense. The last time Naminé saw Xion included a ton of glares from the latter party. Roxas didn't notice, but Naminé knew better. She knew what it meant.

It didn't make Xion more likeable, to put it lightly.

"It normally doesn't affect a person until they're close to forty years old. I've got the more aggressive form, so it'll hit me earlier. While everyone's halfway through college, I'll be dealing with the early stages of this disease. By the time you're all parents or uncles and aunts, I'll be closer to a vegetable than a human being."

It had seemed all too surreal. The more Xion talked, the more Naminé wondered why she couldn't replace the contempt festering inside her head. Pity would have been more favorable, but Naminé couldn't shake the anger. When silence settled over the two girls, Naminé had assumed it was her turn to talk.

Naminé had told Xion everything. Roxas's abrupt departure gave Naminé an outlet, and Xion proved to be the target.

"Why am I even here? Did you really have Roxas bring me over so you could tell me that?" Naminé had asked. Hearing the news hadn't changed her mind at all.

"No. I just thought I'd explain myself. See, Roxas and I had a little bet when summer started. I told him that you'd be his friend by the end of summer if you guys spent time together— if I was right, I was right. If I lost, I'd be his homework slave for the upcoming school year. Given your relationship with him back then, he of course didn't accept."

"But he did," Naminé had said.

"I made him. If he didn't accept, I told him I'd leave. You know, since I have Huntington's and all. I pretty much backed him into a corner: try to make a new friend or lose his best friend. Despite his suspicions, he accepted. And before you ask, no, I'm not leaving because of the bet. I'm not leaving entirely of my own will either, but when you're a minor with no family left on Destiny Islands, you kinda have to move." Xion walked from one blank wall to another. She pressed her hand against it. "Definitely didn't think I'd actually have to leave."

"So what happened with this bet?" Naminé asked bluntly.

"I won, obviously. That was supposed to be the end of it, but then I decided to buy into that hopeful bullshit people throw around. Live each day like it's your last? That's crap. It's financially irresponsible and logistically impossible unless you're loaded. Maybe that's something said by people who have no desire to travel and see the world and do a bunch of things. Anyway, I also thought it'd be better to try than not try at all. Something about having no regrets, you know?" Xion scoffed and shook her head. "What a dumb thing to say, and an even dumber thing to follow."

"You sound a little bitter," Naminé noted. Had Xion given up on life already?

"They never tell you how bad it is when you fail. All they say is that you don't want to look back and wonder 'what could have been.' They never tell you that knowing 'what will never be' is a lot worse," Xion said. "Oh, you like your best friend? Go for it! The only thing you'll have to deal with is rejection… and the knowledge that he has feelings for someone else. But at least you know you've tried, right? It's _so_ much better than never taking that chance."

Naminé pushed herself to her feet. "I'm not going to apologize for Roxas's feelings."

"I'm not asking you to," Xion added quickly.

"And I'm definitely not going to apologize for mine," Naminé said in a low voice. "I get it. You liked him, figured it wouldn't work out, and tried to make a difference in his life. Then you thought about it more, took a chance, and failed epically. But while you were doing all that, you completely forgot that you involved another person in the entire thing. Did it even cross your mind that I had feelings too? I didn't ask to be Roxas's new friend. I didn't volunteer to be a part of your grand plan, and I definitely didn't imagine that I'd ever like him! But I guess it's my fault for stealing him and leaving you with the knowledge that he doesn't like you the way you want him to. And I definitely deserved all that glaring a week ago. But screw me, right?"

Xion tensed and looked away. Both girls stood silently for what seemed like the thickest minute of their lives.

"I don't even know what to say. I can't stand that pitiful attitude of yours. If you brought me here to join a pity party, then you'll have to excuse me for declining the invitation."

The words left Naminé's mouth in a hurry, avoiding any attempted restraint. Naminé felt strangely proud of herself for her brutal honesty. As scathing as it had been, she said exactly what she wanted. As soon as she finished, she stormed out of the room and demanded that Roxas take her home.

Perhaps she should have felt sorry for Xion and that dreadful disease that plagued her, but Naminé couldn't. Not when she was so annoyed with what happened. She was glad she agreed to see Xion. Though Roxas didn't discuss anything about the day before, Naminé had still felt like she accomplished something.

Just like the ride over, the drive back was completely silent. Naminé made sure that the last words she spoke that day were the ones that made her feel like she came out on top.

* * *

><p>"Well I guess it's just you and me— at least for a bit," Xion said.<p>

Roxas nodded, staring at the plane his other friend just boarded. He was glad Axel managed to put off his departure to keep the group together, but it seemed today was the limit. "Guess so." Roxas grabbed the handle of Xion's carry-on bag. "C'mon, let's get to your gate."

He and Xion took their time as they walked to another section of the airport. The past few days had passed in such a blur that Roxas questioned whether or not they actually happened, but each memory was still fresh in his mind.

"What are you smiling about? Happy to have some alone time after these past few days?" Xion asked.

Roxas shook his head. "I was actually remembering what we did last night… or was it two nights ago? It was the night we went on the boat."

"Oh, the night we almost crashed and died? Yes, I can see why that's something to smile about," Xion said with a giggle.

They traded conflicting accounts of what exactly happened that night until they arrived at the gate area. Roxas followed Xion to some seats in front of a window at an unused gate, an area secluded from the pockets of people. When Xion picked her spot, Roxas sat in the adjacent seat. They remained silent for a while, staring at the runways. A few raindrops spotted the window as a misty drizzle coated the concrete. Every so often, Roxas wondered what it'd be like to maneuver a plane into gray skies.

It wasn't long before Xion asked Roxas to buy them some drinks. He needed a coffee anyway. He and his friends spent the entire night awake, doing everything they could to make the most out of their last night together.

Something Axel said last night suddenly popped into his head. "Funny how time works, huh? If you spend your life watching, it passes slowly. But look away for a second, just one second to enjoy it with your friends, and suddenly you've lost an hour," he had said. "You can either spend the seconds counting time you've wasted, or you could be left to question if you ever got to live them at all."

It was a moment of brilliance on Axel's part, one that elicited joke after joke from Xion and Roxas. But it had its merits, and Roxas was sure he'd remember it forever. What did Xion think of it though? He considered asking her, but he probably already knew the answer. She'd make her time count and that's all she'd tell him. That, of course, meant anything.

When he was one spot away from ordering, he looked back to where Xion was sitting. To his surprise, she had her phone pressed between her hand and her resting head. By the time he returned with their coffee, she had already finished her conversation.

"Who was that?" Roxas asked as he handed her a large cup.

"None of your business," Xion chirped. "If I wanted you to know, I would've made the calls while you were sitting here."

"Come on. You don't need to keep secrets."

"Fine," Xion said and crossed her arms. "I called Riku. Told him how grateful I was, thanked him… told him I loved him."

Roxas sat up. "What?"

"Kidding. But thanks for looking so disgusted," Xion said with a laugh.

"So what'd he say?"

"Nothing. I left a voicemail. I also left a voicemail for someone else, but this time it's private," Xion said.

"Is it though?" Roxas asked with a smirk.

"It is— hey!"

Roxas snatched Xion's phone from her lap and ran behind a row of chairs. Xion stood up, but every time she tried to reach him, Roxas threatened to run in the opposite direction. "Yeah, now what are you gonna do?"

Xion huffed and sat down again. Roxas could feel her eyes on him as he unlocked her phone and attempted to look through her call logs. He was surprised to find that everything was deleted, including past text conversations.

"Are you done yet?" Xion asked casually.

Roxas looked up to see Xion scrolling through a phone. His phone. "Wait, how did you get that?" he asked, slapping his pockets as if his phone might actually still be there.

"You left it here when you got us coffee." Xion noisily sipped her drink. She crossed her legs, set the phone on Roxas's seat, and held up her hand. "Though I suppose it's more accurate to say that I took it from you while you were all glazed over and staring out the window."

Roxas tossed Xion's phone back to her and returned to his seat. After a quick inspection, they resigned to coffee and silence again. Occasionally, one of them would speak up and bounce a few topics about, but a combination of comfort and fatigue left them quiet. Just as Roxas felt himself nodding off, he felt the weight of Xion's head on his shoulder. He rested his on hers.

"I am going to be knocked out on this plane ride," Xion said with a yawn.

"That was the plan," Roxas whispered as he closed his eyes. "Do you think Axel's asleep too?"

"He's dreaming about us for sure." Xion giggled. "Hey Roxas, can I ask you something?"

"I don't see why not," Roxas replied.

"Do you still like Naminé?"

Roxas's eyes shot open. He slowly lifted his head and sat upright, but left his shoulder low enough for Xion. "That's an interesting question," he said quietly.

"It's something I want to know before I leave," Xion said.

Roxas contemplated his options, then sighed heavily. "I… yeah. Though I can't help but feel that it's superficial." Roxas scratched his nose, trying to hide his discomfort over the discussion of this sensitive topic. "I feel like an idiot for tons of reasons. I've been too afraid to call her ever since that day I brought her over to your place since she didn't say a word to me that entire ride back. There's also the fact that I… hate remembering this."

"Hate remembering what?" Xion asked, lifting her head from his shoulder so she could look him in the eye.

"Remember when Riku called me to go and see you? That happened right after I… uh, confessed," Roxas said with a cough.

"You what?"

"I confessed." Roxas brought his knees up and sank a little in his chair. "I told her I liked her and I went in for a—" Roxas winced and vigorously ran his hands through his hair. "I can't believe that happened. I can't believe I did that, and I don't want to remember that now!" The embarrassment and shame made him feel itchy all over. Why were they talking about it? Roxas wished that he could crawl into a burrow of some sort and just hide there for days.

He'd do almost anything to have that moment back, but when he thought about what he'd do instead, he wasn't quite sure. He hesitated to say that he wouldn't confess at all, but that made the whole thing mortifying in the first place. He was taken aback. What would he do differently if he got that moment back?

Xion's laugh pulled him from his musings. "Wow, nobody ever told me that part."

Roxas winced. "It's not something I want to remember." He got the feeling that Naminé felt the same way.

"That totally explains why she went full bitch mode on me!" Xion laughed loudly, much to Roxas's confusion. "Remember when I spoke with her that day you brought her over?"

"What of it?" Roxas asked cautiously.

"Well, we got into a little argument— I'll tell you about that later— and she totally came at me. But apparently I interrupted something important, so she probably doesn't hate me," Xion said.

"What the heck are you talking about?" Roxas asked.

"I didn't just tell her about Huntington's disease. We talked about other stuff too, like you, and it totally got her going. Now I understand!"

"How did I come up? And what did she say to you?" Roxas sat up, wondering if he'd need to talk to Naminé. He hoped he wouldn't have to.

"Oh, you know… I asked if you told her everything…" Xion mumbled. "It's not important. I really screwed up more than I initially thought."

"Can you please stop for a second and tell me what's going on?" Roxas asked. "Stop, take a breath, and start from the beginning."

Xion did just that. "Naminé yelled at me the last time we spoke. I may or may not have said something inflammatory involving you, but she was super pissed, so I assumed she just hated my guts. Now you're telling me that you almost freakin' kissed her, but I interrupted that. So now I guess you could say I'm relieved to find that she might not actually hate me," Xion said. "Of course she'd be pissed."

"Um, I missed that part. Why was she angry when you— oh. Oh." Roxas fell back into his seat.

Xion forced a smile. "Glad to see I didn't have to spell it out. Good for you."

"She probably doesn't think much of it now. She didn't speak a word to me either, remember?" Roxas tried to think of ways to quell the optimism swelling in his chest. Not only did Naminé ignore him on the ride home that day, but she also made no effort to contact him. She had no reason to _not_ call him. He at least had some justification. He was too embarrassed to try.

"She never said anything about not liking you though," Xion remarked, remembering how Naminé mentioned her own feelings in their conversation. "Do me a favor after I leave and talk to her."

"Wait, why are we talking about me? You're leaving!" Roxas blinked. He actually forgot Xion would be leaving because of that conversation.

"Yup. That doesn't mean we can't talk about you though. I like talking about you."

"You mean you like watching me squirm."

"Isn't that what I said?" Xion asked with a laugh. "In all seriousness, it's a bit comforting to know that your girlfriend doesn't hate me."

"She's not my girlfriend," Roxas said sternly.

"You'd like her to be." Xion readjusted herself and faced forward. She enjoyed the silence her words brought. "Roxas, do you think that, in some alternate universe or something, Naminé and I could have been good friends?"

Roxas scratched the back of his head. "I don't see why that can't happen in this universe, so sure," Roxas answered. It seemed like a silly question.

"It wouldn't have worked here. Trust me," Xion said firmly. "She made me wonder why I ever hid this stupid disease from everyone though. I half-expected her to pity me, but she was ruthless. Yeah, that might have been because she was angry, but… still. She didn't really think it was such a big deal."

"Axel and I have been telling you that all along though. It took Naminé to convince you that hiding it wasn't worth it?" Roxas asked.

"You guys were different. Plus, she didn't convince me. She just showed that I probably could've been more open. I just didn't want anyone to tiptoe around it. I didn't want anyone to feel sorry for me. You know that." Xion tucked her hair behind her ear and crossed her arms.

"Riku didn't really care either, right?" Roxas noted.

"Yeah, shut up. I'm right and you're wrong."

Roxas laughed, but relented. He wanted to ask why Xion didn't think she could get along with Naminé when they seemed to click in the first few weeks of summer, but he knew Xion would avoid the topic. She seemed intent on keeping a few things from him, which only meant that he'd find out later.

They spent the remaining time talking about old memories, jumping from their most recent conquests to their first meeting. In what felt like seconds, Xion's plane began boarding passengers. They brushed off the initial announcements, knowing they'd wait for the last possible moment.

"You'll wait a day before telling everyone else that I left, right?" Xion asked as she watched people line up at the gate.

"Wait, how long am I supposed to wait again?" Roxas asked cheekily. "I didn't catch it the first nineteen times."

"I'm just making sure you remember. Your memory can be a little spotty at times," Xion teased. She grabbed one of Roxas's hands and gave it a good squeeze. "You'll talk to Naminé too, right?"

"I think that's inevitable given that her sister is dating my brother," Roxas remarked.

"Don't do anything stupid either, Roxas. I mean it." Xion looked him in the eye and gave him a hard look.

"When have I ever done something stupid?"

"Well, just this summer, you pretended to have a girlfriend to get free ice cream through a contest you technically weren't allowed to join. You also punched someone and could've been charged for it. So I don't know, Roxas. When have you ever done something stupid?" Xion asked sarcastically.

"You do know both of those things happened around Naminé, right?"

Xion snorted. "Why do you think I mentioned the two so closely together? She clearly makes you stupid."

Roxas shook his head. "Yet here you are, asking me to talk to her and stuff."

"I meant that in the most endearing way possible. She makes you all googly-eyed and weak in the knees—"

Roxas took his hand back and scowled. "Have you always been so… _not_ funny?"

"I'm sorry. I know you're pretty smooth with the ladies," Xion said with a shrug. "Can you get my bag? It looks like the line's finally dying."

Roxas handed her the small suitcase. "You'll call when you arrive, right?"

"I'll call if I feel like it," Xion said with a nod. "Roxas, I—"

"Maybe I'll come visit a few days before school starts," Roxas said, placing his hands on his hips. "Apparently schools here start a bit later than everyone else, so make sure you tell your aunt to make room for me for like, three days or so."

Xion smiled and pulled Roxas into a hug. "Of course."

Roxas returned it just as strongly. "I'll see you soon, all right?"

"Thank you, Roxas." Xion buried her face into Roxas's shoulder. "I don't know what would have happened if I never got the chance to meet you."

"Xion—"

Xion's voice dropped into a whisper. "Take chances, Roxas. Don't be afraid to be happy. You deserve it, okay?"

Roxas felt her tremble in his arms and hugged her tighter. "Xion, I'll be fine. Don't worry."

"I love you, Roxas." Xion squeezed him even harder, tightening her grip on his shirt. "I mean it. I love you, Roxas."

The words seemed to leave a gaping hole in his chest. For a short moment, he couldn't breathe. The meaning of Xion's words sank in and he loosened his hug in surprise.

Xion quickly pulled away and spoke before Roxas could say anything. "Be happy for me, okay? Do it for me."

Roxas held her shoulders, his eyes searching hers. "Xion, are you—"

The moment was so fast that Roxas almost believed it didn't happen. In one swift motion, Xion leaned forward and pressed her lips to his cheek. Slowly, her warm hand dropped from his face as her lips departed. "Good-bye, Roxas."

She turned. She had only taken a few steps before Roxas caught her wrist. "Xion, I… I didn't know. I…" Roxas squeezed his eyes shut and clenched his jaw. Why couldn't he say something? Why couldn't he find the words? He screamed for his mind to say anything.

"Roxas…" Xion turned around to face him. "Do you think that, in some other universe or something, it could have been you and me?"

Roxas swallowed hard. He sighed, let go of Xion's arm, and smiled. "Yeah. It might have been."

"Just not here, right?" Xion asked with a sad laugh. "You'll be better off now. Thanks again for everything."

Roxas watched her walk to the gate. Just as the person in front of her passed through, he called out to her. "Xion! I'll see you soon, okay?"

She turned to face him and shot him a smile. "Don't come if you don't have a bunch of stories. And next time we meet, introduce me to your girlfriend properly!"

Roxas stood at a distance, his eyes lingering on Xion as she entered the plane.

* * *

><p>Naminé's phone lit up again. She grabbed it this time, but before she could check the notification, her sister entered her room in a hurry.<p>

"I'm going to bother Riku at work with Sora. You wanna come with us?" Kairi asked with car keys in hand.

"No thanks. I'm tired and I'd rather stay here."

"Tired of being mopey you mean?" Kairi asked.

"What?"

"What?" Kairi parroted innocently.

"I said I was tired, Kairi," Naminé answered curtly. She wasn't in the mood for her twin's games. "Just go do whatever it was you were going to do."

"Fine. If you want to be all lonely and woe-is-me, go ahead. You've been like this for days, Naminé, and if that's how you want to spend the rest of our time here, then I won't get in your way." Kairi left the bedroom before poking her head back in. "Oh, and just so you know, Riku and Sora are coming over after. If you could fix your face, that'd be great."

Naminé rolled her eyes and changed her frown into a tight-lipped line. Kairi was annoying when she was right.

Naminé didn't quite understand why she felt like she did something wrong. The last time she saw Roxas and Xion, she felt like she had won. She was an unwilling player in a game and called out the game master. It had been so satisfying to finally go through with a verbal thrashing, but the memory of her actions made her sick.

Pushing the queasiness aside, Naminé glanced at her phone. To her surprise, she had two notifications: one of a missed call, and another being a voicemail. Both were from an unrecognized number. Naminé allowed the message to play.

"Hey Naminé, it's Xion. I know I'm probably the last person you want to hear from, but I need to apologize for what I said and did a couple nights ago. You… you were right, and I'm sorry I was— I was all over the place that day. I was mad at the world for making him suffer before he died. I was mad that I had to see him buried. I shouldn't have called you out to come meet me, and I definitely shouldn't have taken my anger out on you. That was unfair.

"I hope you'll eventually forgive me. And… and I know I'm in no position to ask, but consider this the last time I ever bother you. I need you to do me a favor. When I leave, will you take care of Roxas for me? I know he'll be okay in time, but I don't want him to be lonely. So that's why I'm asking you. You know what I want for him, and you definitely make him happy whether he'll admit it or not. Just please make sure he isn't lonely. I'm sure he'll return the favor. Um, thanks for hearing me out. Despite everything that happened, I'm glad I got to meet you."

A familiar feeling began to tingle within Naminé. It was the same one she got when her sister apologized to her, or when her mother scolded her for something she supposedly did wrong. It was the intersection of a grudge, reluctant acceptance, and an unshakeable guilt fighting for dominance.

She tried to ignore it all and buried her face in her pillow. She didn't have a single reason to feel guilty. She wasn't at fault for anything.

Then again, Xion was probably far from her usual self, what with her father's death and everything. Naminé winced. Even if she had said exactly what she wanted, perhaps she could have waited a day or two— or five, maybe— before telling Xion off. That meant, however, that whether or not she was too harsh was still up for debate. The more she thought about it, the more awful it seemed to chew out a grieving teenager who spent years watching a loved one die slowly, which simultaneously reminded said teenager of a similar fate in the imminent future.

The more Naminé thought, the more it seemed that she was wrong. She stood up and began pacing. She wasn't wrong. When looked at objectively, she was used by Xion as a way of repaying a perceived debt. So why didn't that get rid of the guilt? It needed an explanation. The fact that there wasn't one only frustrated Naminé to hair-pulling degrees.

Naminé stopped in front of her closet. She couldn't take it anymore. Throwing the door open, Naminé dragged a large plastic storage container from the corner of her closet. She threw the lid aside and stared at the contents.

It had been a while since she needed to put herself on a canvas. It was time to break out the old paint.

* * *

><p>Roxas felt it earlier, but he didn't truly know that he would not see Xion again until he watched her plane take off.<p>

Perhaps that was a bit dramatic. He'd probably see Xion again in the future. What was certain, however, was that it wouldn't be anytime soon. The fact that she held feelings for him may have slipped past him, but he knew her well enough to at least realize she was going to put some distance between them. The excessive gratitude gave it away. Maybe he could quantify the time that she'd need with the amount of thank-you's she threw at him.

The emptiness was back, only bigger this time. Breathing became a bit harder when Axel left, and with Xion gone, Roxas wondered if she took with her his ability to inhale and exhale in a regular pattern. They were gone. Both of them, gone. For the first time in his life, Roxas experienced something he had only heard about before.

Loneliness. So this is loneliness, he thought. There was no bitterness or anger or depression. Even envy was absent. No, loneliness was a vacuum. It was noiseless and lightless and numbing, and it enveloped him in a shroud of isolation. The mere lack of presence was unnerving enough. What happened to that feeling of comfort? It didn't need to be warm. It didn't need to produce the sound of a light breath, nor did it have to carry a familiar scent. It just needed to be there.

But it wasn't. Roxas found himself standing outside and, one at a time, his senses returned to him. First came the salty air, its moisture a welcomed presence in his drying mouth. Then came the dull warmth of a tropical rainstorm, its humid touch running along his previously sensationless skin. Gasoline, watery vegetation, and cigarette smoke came next, mixing together to fill his lungs. Finally, the sights and sounds of his surroundings hit him at the same time. The sticky sound of rubber on wet concrete covered the rest of the noises like a bandage, only to be ripped off as the tires passed by. Conversations were left in the wounded wake, and Roxas began to pair the voices with faces. How different the world seemed to be for these people. Smiles and reunions were everywhere around him.

He must have been at the arrival area.

He ignored it all— he tried to ignore it, at least— and crossed the street. No matter. Roxas walked to the parking garage and eventually found his car. His eyes glanced toward the departure area but didn't linger. So he left, two friends short than when he arrived.

* * *

><p>"You look like hell."<p>

Naminé looked away from the canvas on the floor and spotted Kairi standing at the sliding door. "Am I crazy?" she yelled over the rain.

"You're standing in a rainstorm and throwing paint at the ground. Are you seriously asking?" Kairi yelled back. She stepped into the backyard but remained under the awning.

Naminé picked up the canvas and showed it to her sister. "I'm not throwing it at the ground. What do you think?"

"It's a hot mess of colors. Is that tempera?" Kairi asked. "It doesn't really take rainfall well."

Naminé looked at the canvas and shrugged. "Guess so." She tossed the canvas aside and picked up what was left of her old paint bottles. "I think I need a shower," she said as she joined her sister under cover.

"The blues and greens really suit you though." Kairi looked her sister up and down and shook her head. She reached just inside the doorway and pulled a towel off a nearby counter. "Dry up a little before walking in the house, please. Then you can explain why you're in crazy town."

Naminé dried just enough so that she wouldn't drip much and took a straight route to her bathroom. Kairi followed after her twin, wiping up any mess left on the floor. Kairi even took it upon herself to gather Naminé's wet and painted clothes and toss them in the washer.

The hot shower seemed to clear Naminé's mind on impact. The painting, as usual, helped her out of her initial rut. There was nothing quite like splashing cheap paint on a blank canvas and making a mess of things. It blended both artistry and childishness for her. Sure, she had no bearing on technique, but splashing colors around at least got the bad thoughts out of her mind.

When was the last time she splashed paint everywhere? It must have been when they decided to move from Destiny Islands to Radiant Garden. She had been so angry back then and threw a tantrum like a spoiled child.

Then again, today wasn't any better. When she arrived at the root of this particular problem, it revolved around a boy.

"So, picture this: you walk into your house with your best friends and you're looking for your whiny sister. You call out, but don't get an answer. Then the sliding glass door leading to the backyard catches your eye. Why are the blinds open? You go to investigate and, lo and behold, your twin sister is squeezing paint straight from the bottle onto what you think is the ground. What do you do in my position?" Kairi asked from the other side of the shower curtain.

"Are you in the bathroom?" Naminé asked.

"You probably wouldn't have done it for me, but I told Riku and Sora to wait in my room while I got a towel and tranquilizer ready. Granted, I didn't have any tranquilizers, but I figured some medicine to make you drowsy would also work. Anyway, had I known you were going to go paint crazy, I would have stayed home."

"I needed to think. I needed to be alone too. Besides, you're supposed to be making the most out of the summer here. One does not simply stress paint without stress," Naminé said.

"And what was your reason?"

"Honestly, Roxas was." Naminé scrubbed her arms and hands, spending extra time to take the paint off her fingernails.

"See? I told you she was thinking of him."

Naminé raised a brow. She pulled the shower curtain aside to take a look. "Who are you talk— Kairi!"

"Hey, Naminé!" Sora greeted casually.

"Kairi!"

"What?" Kairi crossed her legs from her seat on the toilet. "Don't yell at me. Yell at Sora."

"Sora!"

"Naminé," he replied just as calmly as his greeting.

The door to the bathroom opened with a click. "All right, Kairi. I got her clothes. Her underwear wasn't where you said it'd be though."

"What?" Naminé shrieked. "Is that Riku? You had Riku go through my clothes?" Naminé groaned.

"Yes," Riku replied immediately.

"He didn't _go through_ anything. What he did was a favor. You should thank him," Kairi said.

"Is this real life? Is this really happening right now?" Naminé mumbled to herself.

"So is this what girls do on a regular basis? It's actually pretty fun. No wonder you people always go to the bathroom in packs," Sora said with an approving tone.

"I don't know. It's pretty humid in here. Not really my thing," Riku countered.

"Guys, get out." Naminé waited until she heard the bathroom door close before peeking around the curtain. Her sister sat on the toilet cover with an expectant look. "I can't believe you let them in here."

"You seemed lonely. Was I right?" Kairi asked.

"Yes, you are. I needed time for myself." Naminé continued showering, quickly lathering herself with soap.

"You're not leaving once you get dressed?"

Naminé paused. "I'm not lonely, but I know someone that might be. What do you know, Kairi?"

"Enough to know what's going on," Kairi said with a sigh. "You must care a lot about this person."

"Yeah. I've accepted that too." Naminé waited for her sister to tease her, but nothing came. Before she knew it, she was spilling her guts to Kairi.

Naminé told everything, including what she said to Xion that night. She sorted her feelings into colors and smeared it all over the place. Doing that made it easier to talk to Kairi. It helped her see the stupidity of her problem as well. Somewhere along the lines, she had made a contest out of nothing. She had become obsessed with beating Xion, but at what? Why did it matter so much that she one-up Roxas's best friend? When did it become so important to win Roxas over?

The revelation was a slap in the face because it didn't matter.

She thought she had been used by Xion, but she got something out of it in the end. She had a new friend in Roxas, and perhaps something more. Rather than getting upset over the fact that she never asked for the change, she should have been glad that she didn't have to ask at all. Naminé realized that things were better now than they were before she even arrived on Destiny Islands, and it certainly didn't give her a reason to be angry.

If Riku's call hadn't come just moments before Naminé kissed Roxas, perhaps she could have avoided the entire debacle. Instead of thinking it over, she let her newfound feelings dictate her actions. The last time her feelings led to destructive consequences was also the last time she pulled out the "venting" paint. That happened to be the day she learned that they would be moving to Radiant Garden.

At least she got to apologize to her parents for throwing a tantrum. She didn't know if she'd ever get the chance with Xion.

Either way, she was going to see Roxas. If she really did have the ability to cheer him up, if only a little, then she was going to try. Heck, she needed him too. The fact that she hadn't seen or spoken to him in three days might have been half the reason why she was being what Kairi described as "mopey" and all.

Naminé finished dressing by the time her conversation with her sister ended. "I don't know when I'll be back, but you'll probably have to order takeout or have one of the guys cook," Naminé said as she checked the light makeup on her face.

"Don't worry about me, Nam." Kairi handed keys over to her twin. "If things aren't going well, bring him over, okay?"

"I will," Naminé said. "See you later."

* * *

><p>Roxas knew the call probably wasn't coming, but it still hurt when he finally accepted it. Half an hour after Xion's plane was supposed to land, Roxas tried to contact her. The number was no longer available. After a cursory search through social media sites, it seemed Xion disconnected from there as well. With a sigh, Roxas fell back into bed.<p>

He should have known. Why didn't he see it? The signs were right in front of him, but he ignored them simply because Xion denied them. How could he call himself her best friend when he didn't understand the most obvious facet of their relationship? Roxas cringed.

He wanted to talk to her. He wanted to tell Xion how awful he felt for not noticing. He even reached a point where he almost felt bad for liking Naminé, who probably wanted nothing to do with him after everything that had happened. Everything would have been easier had he just opened his eyes.

Roxas heard his father greet someone downstairs. He paid it no mind until he heard footsteps on the staircase and a knock on his door. Slowly, he got up and opened the door.

"Naminé?" he asked in shock.

"Your dad let me in. He was a little more than surprised to hear that I was here to visit you, to say the least," she said with a laugh.

Roxas fought back a smile. As far as his parents knew, he and Naminé were still butting heads. He shook his head. That wasn't important. "Uh, what are you doing here?" he asked. His hands flew to his mouth. "I mean, did you drive here in the rain?" he blurted. Fantastic. Of all the things he could have said, he questioned her appearance at his house.

"It wasn't bad. You should have a bit more confidence in your student," she said.

"Oh. Right."

There was a moment of silence. "Um, how are you holding up?"

"I-I've been fine. I've been pretty good. I actually meant to talk to you, but there were things… and stuff." That was the end of the line. Roxas wanted nothing more than to press a reset button and start from the top. Since that was impossible, every cell in his body screamed for him to run and hide from the awkwardness he was creating.

"I get it. You were busy. Naminé walked into his room and sat at his desk.

Roxas stayed at the doorway. What the heck was going on? "Uh…"

Naminé buried her face in her hands and groaned loudly. "I'm sorry. I came here thinking I could help, but this is painfully awkward."

For the first time since Xion left, Roxas felt a laugh bubble past his lips. "I'm partially to blame. I wanted to talk to you, but I don't know where to start," Roxas said as he returned to his bed.

"Then let's start with you. Are you really okay?"

"Given everything that's happened, I'm pretty well off. Kinda sucks that Xion has done everything in her power to disconnect herself from me though," he said.

"I assume she told you how she felt?"

"Wait, how do you know?" Roxas asked. His mood began to sink again. "Don't tell me it was _that_ obvious."

"I learned a lot the last we spoke. You can… you can imagine why that ended the way it did." Naminé focused her sights on a corner of the room.

"Oh… right." Roxas blushed.

"But you're really okay?" Naminé asked, refocusing the conversation. "If I were you, I'd at least feel a little lonely."

"Well, you're here, at least for now. How could I be lonely?" Roxas smiled sadly. "Though I do wish Xion wasn't ignoring me."

Naminé walked over to the bed and sat beside Roxas. "She probably needs space. She's your best friend. She can't possibly go that long without at least talking with you."

"I guess." Roxas closed his eyes and felt a light touch on his back. He tensed at first, but gave in to the soothing feel.

"Need to cry about it?" Naminé asked.

"Already did. I sat in my car and cried like a little girl for a good half hour." Roxas pressed his palms to his eyes and chuckled. "Naminé, I—"

"I already said we'll talk about it later," Naminé said as she lightly squeezed the back of his neck. "For now, just try and fathom how awesome I am for being such a great friend and showing up. A-Anyway, you're welcome to come over my place. Riku and your brother are probably cooking something up for Kairi, and if you want the extra company—"

"No. It's fine just like this." Roxas leaned his head on Naminé's shoulder and sighed. She smelled just like he did that evening in her studio. "I'll stay here."

After getting over the initial shock, Naminé giggled. She brushed at his hair tickling her nose, but allowed him to stay where he was. "If that's what you want, then I'll stay too."

* * *

><p>One night was all it took for Naminé to make up with Roxas. Despite spending more than a few hours together, they never even approached the topic of what they almost did in her studio. Even so, Naminé left with a smile on her face. There were still a few conversations they needed to have, but for now, it was enough just talking with him.<p>

Over the next few days, Roxas doubled his normal work hours to make up for the time he had skipped. Being surrounded by kittens and other animals was probably the biggest reason, but Naminé didn't complain. He probably welcomed the distraction.

She and Kairi spent most of their time cleaning every inch of the house, which was one of the few conditions involved when their mother allowed them to stay. When they weren't cleaning, they were making their polite, but obligatory, visits to their parents' friends. The amount of things they were told to bring back would have required another suitcase had they not already planned on leaving some clothes behind.

For both Kairi and Naminé, every spare moment was spent with their friends. Before either of them realized, the last days of their summer vacation finally arrived.

* * *

><p><strong>Redeeming Endeavor: <strong>It has certainly been a while. It's weird to think how much has changed since my last update, and I suppose that's a sign that I took far too long. I promised to finish this story though, so consider this chapter as a sign that I'm back from an unannounced hiatus. I'll resume the blog on Monday.

I'll be happy to answer any questions you guys might have. Though, let me thank you for reading this far. For starters, it's been more than half a year (WHAT), and secondly, this chapter was atrocious. I'm going to make sure this story finishes with higher quality chapters. You can hold me to that.

I'd also like to thank **Lupus7, Versivalia, Revenge of the Red Pen, Polymoly, Tenshi Yami- Angel of Darkness, StattStatt, yoursoulsmile, Brown Eyed Sage, SummonerDagger88, Morbidly Bored, ChosenOne37, StrawberryGirlKairi, Kuroiikawa, CJ122, elspoek1, spadejackspade, EnterAbyss2991, animeluv3, monkmonkeys, KurukiXV, LightningGemini, alwaysmile, Justice333, livelaughlove87878, dreamingleaf7, PatheticalyInLove, Aldergrace, Guest, Soul of Me, Gumi Harue, Pili1995, kingdomheartsoverload, Caramelized, GummyDrive, Sookdeo, Naivette, Ash09, Omega, California Sandwich, NightmaresInNeurosis, Allied Forces, kirbyisawesome, Paopu Fruits and Sea-salt Bars, Namiroku, AntiShips, T3rran, random spacer, soluvepink, pendingLife, FromSoraXWithLove, xXkairiheartsXx, Ynna, Xerzo LotCN, Emperor Xirchs, aki arashi, tackytanz, Bebe17, ohnoitisKatie, Marionette of Ancient Relics, Solarr-Eclipse, Kazernsky, Stonekipsta, PumpedUpKyx, Ayame, Hankxlo, JustAnotherCrazyFangirl, chrizzle88, candybear24, lolqueen, one in a million, A fan **(that was really nice of you!)**, anonymous reader, shadowwulfx, this person, PantiesOnFire, GengaJupite, Bacon, anise w, The sign painter, BerserkerNobody, AA, Ohwanderlust, xxxHikari-Kuraixxx **(that was wonderful!)**, kenzakisora, **and** Damn Frustrated.**

Will you look at that list? After reading all those reviews again, I reminded myself of all the people I let down. Ugh. You guys say the nicest things, and I go and take a break for half a year. Freaking terrible.

Anyway, let me thank anyone who also added me or LPA to their favorites or subscriptions. They make me really happy, especially considering that this story went months without update.

Harmless Author Fact #23: My childhood fascination -I feel like everyone I've ever met had one- was outer space. I had a short dinosaur phase too, but anything having to do with the universe was more amazing to me (and I never got dinosaur-themed bedsheets/decorations for my room like I did with outer space).

Chapter Data- Word Count: 7741. Total Editing Time: 1316 minutes.

Like I said, I'll be happy to answer any questions you guys might have. I'm back, and I'm here to finish this story.

Take care. I'll see you around.


	24. Stellar Flare

**Redeeming Endeavor**: Enjoy the last chapter ever of this story.

* * *

><p><span>Chapter 24: Stellar Flare<span>

On the night before their flight home, Kairi came up with the grand idea of having everyone over for dinner. Since Naminé forgot her sister was about as useful as a saltshaker in a zombie apocalypse when it came to cooking, she thought it was a great idea and invited everyone over. The minor oversight placed Naminé in the kitchen for an hour as she made the most of whatever food they had left.

Even if Kairi was incompetent, at least her best friends weren't. Not only did Sora keep Kairi from messing anything up, he also took it upon himself to grill anything that could be grilled. It certainly lightened the workload left in the kitchen. Riku turned out to be a great help as well. Though Naminé didn't vocalize her opinion, she was sure he was the superior cook between them.

Despite the required effort, it was still better than tossing any leftover food. When their father visited, he made sure they wouldn't run out of food for the remainder of their stay. Coupled with Kairi's welcomed unwillingness to cook and a surplus of supplies, their father's overzealous grocery shopping gave them one more reason to throw a party.

Seafood dominated the dinner table. With the right ingredients and an obnoxious amount of lemons, Riku and Naminé tried their hand at dishes a bit fancier than the average peanut butter and jelly sandwich. Riku took it upon himself to make shrimp scampi while Naminé seasoned and plated all the food. She couldn't help but compare Riku to her mother in that they both worked well in the kitchen. Kairi came in and out, bringing armfuls of plates and silverware into the back patio. On the last trip, she complimented Naminé on the lemonade, asking that more be made for everyone coming.

In the span of ten minutes, most of their friends arrived. The two cooks remained diligent in the kitchen, urging everyone else to join Sora and Kairi in the back. Naminé handed Selphie the shrimp scampi to take with her and told everyone else to get started on the appetizer. When the house emptied again, Naminé mentally noted that only Hayner, Pence, and Olette were still missing. She assumed they'd arrive with Roxas since they worked together.

Riku and Naminé kept their conversations superficial and light while they cooked, conversing about their favorite cooking ingredients and summer homework assignments that still needed to be done. The serious talk began when the cooking was about to end.

"So are you as sad as your sister that you guys have to leave tomorrow?" Riku asked.

"I guess. I definitely had more fun than I would have guessed," Naminé said. She eyed the red snapper Riku was finishing.

"I'll miss everyone," Naminé answered as she finished washing everything in the sink. "But honestly, probably Roxas the most. I guess I got used to him being around. You can interpret that however you want, by the way."

Riku chuckled. "No, I get it. It's funny to think how one summer could change your relationship with someone so drastically."

Naminé's eyes widened. "That's right! Roxas told me that you and Xion started hanging out more than usual. Why was this such a recent development when you guys have known each other for a while?"

"Lots of things, really. The main reason was that she thought I was hot," Riku said nonchalantly. "I think she learned that there was more to me than my good looks."

"You're allowed to say that you were friends. I know it was you who called Roxas for her," Naminé said. She was met with the sound of searing red snapper.

"It's funny," Riku said after the pause, "that people claim they want you to move on with your life without them, yet they do things that make you think otherwise."

Naminé began to regret bringing up the topic of Xion. Of course Roxas wasn't the only one hurting with her departure. She needed another topic, fast. "Speaking of Roxas—"

"Did you know that she left me a voicemail while I was working? Apparently it was a couple minutes before she left." Riku flipped the snapper in his pan and focused his gaze on the other pans.

Naminé turned to look at him. "I got one too, actually."

"You did?" Riku looked confused. "If she called you, then you probably knew something about her that not many people did."

"Are we talking the one Roxas knew about before she left or the one he learned about as she was leaving?" Naminé asked.

Riku stared for a moment, then laughed. "Damn. Girl kept a lot of secrets."

Naminé giggled. "I guess I can't blame her. You know, a few days ago I was at a really low point and considered telling Roxas about her feelings. I'm glad I never did. I don't think she would have forgiven me if I had."

"I'd ask about all this drama you're referring to, but I have a feeling that it's all water under the bridge now," Riku said. "No reason to bring that up."

"Yeah. I'd say we both moved on. I think I'd like to talk to her again at some point, just not anytime soon. We wanted the same thing, and that was a both a reason to fight and forgive each other," Naminé said. "How's the fish coming along?"

"It's done," Riku said. "You can join everyone outside if you want. I'll bring this out."

"Maybe after you tell me what your message said. You can't just say Xion left you one and not tell me what it was. And I assume you were going to tell me, otherwise you wouldn't have brought it up," Naminé said.

Riku raised a brow. "You sure?" He waited for a nod before continuing. "Remember, you asked. At first, Xion didn't really say anything out of the ordinary. It was the usual 'thank you' stuff. But near the end, she said that the next time she visits, she plans on sleeping with me."

Naminé blinked. "You're serious? You're lying, right?"

"I'm not. She went from telling me that she was really grateful to telling me that we're going to have sex the next time we see each other. And who am I to deny her?" Riku asked as he raised his hands. "She wants the D."

"You're lying!" Naminé smacked Riku's arm. "Be serious!"

"I'm dead serious!" Riku said with a laugh. "And I'm a little offended that you find this so hard to believe. I never thought I was so… abhorrent."

Naminé ignored his display of false insecurity and crossed her arms. "And you'd do it? You'd actually have sex with her if she really wanted to?"

"Definitely. I like her, and if she really is ready, I'm not going to pass that up," Riku said.

Naminé nodded. She tried her best to hide her disappointment. She thought if there were guys who were different from most, one would be Riku. It seemed, however, that he was willing to jump into bed with a girl at the first chance. "I see," she said curtly.

"I'm telling Kairi you just judged me," Riku declared. He turned back to a nearby plate and meticulously placed the finished snapper.

"I didn't judge you," she lied. "I just feel like time and time again, guys are reinforcing their stereotypes."

"There is some truth to a stereotype though. And I hate to break it to you, but if a guy likes a girl, he has had at least one sexual fantasy involving her. Another universal truth is that all straight men love boobs. Heck, every gay guy I've met likes boobs too," Riku added.

"That can't be true. The ones about _every_ guy, I mean. There have to be exceptions," Naminé clarified.

"There aren't any though. Every guy likes boobs and every guy has fantasized about the girl he likes, given that he likes girls, of course. If you think I'm wrong, then tell me that there's a girl in the world who hates receiving compliments," Riku said.

"Ugh, why are we talking about this?" Naminé groaned. Weren't they supposed to be eating dinner?

"I'd like to know what you guys are talking about too."

Naminé turned to see Roxas standing at the door with Hayner and Pence behind him. Olette stepped in behind them, making sure to greet both Naminé and Riku. The late group of friends stayed with the kitchen crew for a few moments, with Hayner eventually bringing up the topic they had apparently just missed.

Riku's eyes lit up, expressing an excitement akin to a scientist who just found the answer to all of his problems. "Guys, I need you all to prove my point to Naminé here," he said as he looked at each of them. "Do all guys like boobs?"

"Absolutely," Hayner replied immediately. Olette's hand flew to her forehead as she groaned. Hayner continued, "It doesn't even matter how big or small they are—"

"I don't think he asked for an explanation," Olette interrupted.

"I'd say that's right…" Pence added quietly.

"Yeah, but why are you talking about this again?" Roxas asked. It appeared that he would be fine with either an explanation or an end to the conversation.

"Because Riku likes to say outrageous things," Naminé replied hastily. She didn't want to know how Roxas would react if he knew that Xion promised to have sex with Riku. Before the conversation could continue, Naminé grabbed everyone's attention and led them to the backyard. The rest of their friends had already finished the appetizers, but were nice enough to wait for everyone to arrive before dinner.

As everyone dug in, Naminé looked around with a smile. It astounded her that she was so bitter at the beginning of summer that she actually wanted to pass on this vacation. Her eyes found Roxas across the table and she smiled. Looking at him used to fill her with fury, but over the course of a few months, it became just the opposite. Naminé couldn't help but question her memory. She was sure it didn't happen like she felt, but it really seemed as easy as falling asleep.

One moment she thought he wasn't that bad; in the next, she started liking him.

The past few days with him had been so easy, even if they danced around the topic of where their relationship was going. When she wasn't talking to Roxas, she was thinking about talking to him. What were they going to do, and where were they going to go from there? Those sorts of questions crossed Naminé's mind when she and Kairi made visits on behalf of their mother. The idle time had allowed her to find her answers, and Roxas absolutely needed to hear them.

Tonight. She would talk to him tonight when the party approached its end. With her flight in the morning, tonight would probably be her last chance to talk to him in total privacy.

For now, she'd enjoy company of the friends she wouldn't see for another year.

* * *

><p>Despite the lack of alcohol, Naminé and Kairi's party had been quite lively. Roxas enjoyed it more than he thought he would, though he could've done without the embarrassing pictures part.<p>

Before the party, the shelter he worked at took in some new tenants in the wonderful form of kittens. In lieu of everything that happened in the days before, Roxas had gone overboard with excitement. Long story short, he made sure to snuggle with every one of those cute kittens as a way of welcoming them. Olette secretly took pictures all the while, which he discovered only after Hayner's loud mouth pointed them out.

Olette promised not to show them to anyone, but apparently promises meant shit when there were laughs to be had.

Embarrassment aside, the party had been the most fun Roxas had since Xion left. By midnight, everyone had left save for Sora and Riku. Roxas stayed as well, though under the impression that he would go home with his brother. But as they helped the girls clean up, it became evident that Sora planned on staying the night. Roxas considered asking Riku for a ride home, but that probably entailed a conversation he didn't want to have yet.

Rather than driving home himself, Roxas considered spending the night too. He didn't want to waste the gas and effort to go home when he was supposed to help Sora drop Naminé and Kairi off at the airport. And, if he were being completely honest with himself, the idea of spending more time with Naminé helped him reach a decision.

After they finished cleaning, Roxas followed Naminé back to her room. "I don't suppose you have an extra toothbrush for me," Roxas said slowly.

"You're staying over?" Naminé asked.

"I thought it'd be more convenient for everyone, but I can leave if it'll be a problem."

"I don't mind," Naminé replied quickly, "and I don't think Kairi will either. This works out nicely, actually. I've been meaning to tell you that we should talk about something anyway."

Roxas forced a smile. "Right. We do."

"I'm going to shower. I think you'll find a toothbrush in the master bathroom," Naminé said. She quickly gathered her clothes and left the room.

Roxas found a small basket of disposable toothbrushes under the sink. They looked like the sort of toothbrushes provided for patients in a hospital, good for maybe one use. He tore the plastic wrapping off one and felt the bristles. Cheap and flimsy, as he expected, but still better than nothing. When he finished tidying himself, Roxas joined Sora, Riku, and Kairi in the living room. He figured that they would need to sort out the sleeping situation anyway.

"Finally decided to stay?" Sora asked as he dug through his bag.

"I might as well, right? Roxas looked around the living room and eyed the table situated in the middle. He was going to have to move it. "I'll take the floor."

"No, you'll be sleeping on this couch," Riku said, slapping the cushion next to him. "And don't worry, you won't have to share. Kairi generously offered Sora a spot in her bed."

"Yes, I did," Kairi remarked without an ounce of shame. "There's plenty of room for the both of us, and since Roxas is staying, it works out for everyone."

Roxas looked at Sora, who had a please-don't-tell-Mom smile on his face. The blond rolled his eyes and sighed. "Just don't do anything stupid."

"And what is that supposed to mean?" Kairi asked a little too sweetly.

"Roxas, did you bring a change of clothes? You can take the shirt I packed if you need it," Sora interrupted. He pulled a black A-shirt from his bag and tossed it over. "I mean, I'm not going to need it, so…"

Roxas and Riku stared at him, turned to look at Kairi, and then looked back to Sora.

"Because I had a spare shirt in Kairi's room somewhere. What it's doing there, I don't know. But I'm going to stop talking now, good night." Sora briskly left the room with his bag. A moment of awkward silence passed before Kairi stood up.

"Well, I will see you two in the morning. You should probably sleep soon since we're waking up early," Kairi suggested.

"I'll hopefully be asleep before you reach your room." Riku joked. He moved to the opposite couch, ruffling Kairi's hair as he passed. She wished them good night and went to her room.

Just after changing his shirt, Roxas saw Naminé come out of the bathroom. She beckoned him to follow her to her room.

"Find your toothbrush?" Naminé asked as she dried her hair.

Roxas nodded absently. He found himself focused on the smell of her shampoo, which was strong out of the shower. "Yeah, thanks."

"I saw Riku was already trying to sleep. Where'd Sora go?" Naminé asked.

"Your sister's room. I'm not complaining. I would've had to sleep on the floor otherwise," Roxas said.

"I see." Naminé hung her towel on a hook behind her door.

"I guess I could've slept in the master bedroom, but it'd be really weird to sleep in a bed that belonged to your parents." Roxas caught Naminé staring disapprovingly at her door. "You can be so easy to read sometimes."

"What do you mean?" Naminé recomposed herself. "I was just thinking, that's all. Like if you needed a place to sleep, you could've slept here."

"That… is both a bad lie and a bad joke. I award you no points, and disqualify you from making such an awful attempt ever again," Roxas said as he shook his head.

"I tried." Naminé giggled. "Whatever. It kind of sucks for Riku though, doesn't it?"

"I can go and get him to join us in here if you feel bad." Roxas smirked.

Naminé rolled her eyes, realizing that Roxas was teasing her for doing nearly the same thing Kairi did. "This is different. We need to talk, and I talked a bunch with Riku during dinner."

"Yes you did." Roxas found a topic he wanted to focus on. Though he wanted to know as well, he couldn't help but feel anxious every time Naminé told him they needed to talk. He knew that he'd have to confront his feelings, but the thought of having that conversation was less than appealing. "What exactly was he saying that had you laughing at his every word?"

"I wasn't laughing that much!" Naminé giggled. "Honestly, he was just spouting all sorts of lies to the point where it just got downright hilarious."

"Is this some sort of continuation of what we walked in on?" Roxas asked as he sat on the corner of the bed.

Naminé walked around and sat on the opposite corner, leaning against the small stack of pillows at the head of the bed. "Definitely. So that's why I have to ask you this. What is so special about boobs? I can't— don't look!" Naminé grabbed a pillow and covered her chest.

"I didn't!" Roxas laughed. The lie was never going to take off. "Fine, it happened. But if I told you not to think about a purple elephant, you'd do it too."

"I said 'boobs' and you looked! How is thinking it the same thing as looking at it?" Naminé suppressed her laughter as Roxas blushed.

"It is! Obviously if it's right in front of me I'm going to look!"

"This is great," Naminé said as she wiped the corner of her eye. "Riku said that would happen. Thanks for being a part of that experiment."

"Wait, did you just use me?" Roxas asked in disbelief.

"Yes, I did. There were two parts to that question. You confirmed one part and have yet to answer the other," Naminé said matter-of-factly.

"Well I'd hate to leave you disappointed, but I don't have any experience with… any of that," Roxas finished quickly. "But from what I've heard, they make awfully nice pillows."

"Pillows? Are you serious?"

"Haven't you heard? Breast pillows are best pillows."

"I cannot believe you just said that!" Naminé laughed and buried her face in her pillow.

"I heard they're pretty fun to play with too, but we're ending this before it gets awkward." Roxas moved farther up the bed, stretching his legs along the bottom. "Don't tell me you guys talked about this the entire time."

"We did. Riku basically told me everything I needed to know about guys and how they think. Very enlightening stuff," Naminé said.

"Well did he tell you an almost universal insecurity amongst… well, teenage guys?" Roxas didn't continue until Naminé shook her head.

"What have you got?"

"Well, again, this is mostly teenagers, but most guys are really insecure about the size of their pe— hey don't look! As if you're actually going to see anything!" Roxas exclaimed.

"I didn't— you did that on purpose!" Naminé whined as Roxas howled in laughter.

"I can't believe that actually worked!"

"You're such a dick. No—" Naminé groaned and sulked while she waited for Roxas to stop laughing. When it appeared that he wouldn't stop anytime soon, she threw one of her pillows at him. "Ugh. I really hate you."

"Well now that there's no question where your mind is…" Roxas pressed his face into the Naminé-scented pillow she threw at him and hid his smile.

Naminé narrowed her eyes at Roxas. "You can go."

"Oh please. I'm having too much fun to leave now."

It didn't take much coaxing to get Naminé talking again. Once all the teasing was over, they went back to discussing Naminé's conversation with Riku. Roxas was surprised to find that it was exactly as Naminé described, with a few fake stereotypes thrown in. Riku apparently thought it'd be a good idea to tell Naminé a mix of truth and lies.

Though asked to either confirm or debunk Riku's comments, Roxas found that some were too good and chose to be ambiguous in his replies.

"You're lying too!"

Roxas turned on a nearby lamp and turned off the ceiling light. "I'm sorry that we were the ones to tell you, but chivalry really is dead. The only reason guys hold doors open for ladies is for that easy look at that ass. It's the same deal with stairs."

Naminé fell onto her side and yawned. "Guys are freaking terrible."

Roxas chuckled. It was an obvious lie, but Naminé didn't need to know that there was some truth in what he said. She especially didn't need to know that he had, on at least one occasion, stolen a glance as she passed through a doorway.

What felt like thirty minutes was actually three hours, and the two teens had slipped into a late night delirium. Roxas found himself laughing for no reason at many points in time, which Naminé enjoyed pointing out. It would only lead to more laughter, and it would only end when someone said something silly like suggesting they get some sleep. Roxas couldn't even tell if he was tired from exhaustion or laughing too much. All he knew was that he wouldn't go to sleep unless Naminé either kicked him out of her room or fell asleep first.

He was sure he could've stared at her the rest of the night. They lay on opposite ends of the bed as if they didn't understand that the ideal way of sleeping was along the longer length instead. Roxas silently wished Naminé would remove the pillow in her arms that covered more of her body than the halter top and shorts she was wearing. From his point of view, all he could see were her blue, half-lidded eyes and her blonde hair spilling onto her cheeks.

When their conversations stopped making sense— made evident by the fact that Naminé answered a yes or no question with "what elbows"— Roxas decided to bite the bullet and resign to slumber. He pushed himself into a sitting position and yawned. "Okay. Looks like it's time to sleep."

"You're going to stay here tonight, right?" Naminé asked.

"At this house, yes. But I'm sleeping on the couch." Roxas grabbed the pillow he was using and stood up.

"We haven't talked though." Naminé sat up, having woken up a bit from all the motion.

"We talked plenty, actually. You look like you're about to fall asleep too," Roxas said.

"Stop. We need to talk, Roxas." Naminé's voice was firm. "Were you going to kiss me that night in my studio?"

Roxas looked away and sat next to her. "Yeah, I was." He was too nervous to say that he'd do it right then if she wanted. "Were you going to let me?"

Naminé brought her knees to her chest and blushed. "No. I was going to kiss you back."

Roxas was taken back. When did his heart decide to do backflips in his chest? His cheeks felt warm and his ears tingled. He couldn't believe he seemed so calm on the outside when he reacted so hugely to words. He swallowed hard and turned to face her. "I'd do it again right now if you wanted." And he said it. He actually said it. He could've died on the spot from embarrassment, but his body wanted otherwise.

Naminé tightened her fingers on the pillow. "We… this happened really fast, didn't it? I don't know how and I can barely believe it, but I really like you."

"I like you too, so hearing you say that makes me an extremely happy person right now." Roxas grinned.

"And I'm happy to hear that too, but…"

Time seemed to slow. Slightly, just slightly, the smile on Roxas's face faltered. "But you're going to say something else, right?"

"Roxas, I don't think we should act on anything we might be feeling right now." The words came out in a rush and were met with a stagnant silence.

Roxas shifted his weight and looked away from Naminé. "It happened _too_ fast, didn't it?"

"You said that you'd kiss me right now if I wanted," Naminé said. She reached over and took his hand, getting him to look at her. "But if we could go back to that time, you wouldn't change a thing, right? You'd make the same decision to leave a thousand times over."

Roxas expected wide-eyed panic, a scramble for the right words, and a need for justification to all rush him at once, but none of it came. The answer was too easy and it made too much sense. "Yes. I would have," he told her. He expected her hand to slip from his, so he tightened his grip. "But that doesn't mean—"

But Naminé didn't pull away. She squeezed his hand in return. "I know, I know. I knew you'd say that. I feel like I didn't know about you before, but now that I do, it's probably one of the reasons why I like you."

Roxas chuckled. "The longer this conversation goes on, the more it sounds like a rejection."

Naminé was quick to reply. "It's not—"

"I know. I've never been rejected before, but I'm pretty sure it's supposed to feel worse. But can I just say that choosing to leave does not mean that I don't like you?" Roxas asked.

"I know, Roxas. I was mad about it before, but not now. I just think it's better how it is right now. I mean, I don't even know how long we've been talking, but I've been having so much fun. I can't even remember the last time I stayed up this late because I couldn't stop laughing, and I want to enjoy this a little longer."

Roxas placed their hands closer to Naminé and let go. "Okay. I understand," he said quietly.

"Roxas—" Naminé grabbed Roxas's arm as he stood up.

"Relax. I get it." He looked her directly in the eye as he carefully released her hold on him. "Let's just get some sleep. We have to be up in a few hours."

"I didn't want to hurt you. I don't want to lose any of this. Please don't—"

"Me neither," Roxas said with a strained smile. "We just need time, right? I don't intend to stop being your friend if you'll do the same."

"All right." Naminé nodded, her shoulders slumping from their tensed state.

"I'm going to take this if you don't mind." Roxas held up the pillow he'd been using. He walked to the door and quietly pulled it open. He turned back to Naminé. "Try to rest up. Good night."

"Good night, Roxas," she said quietly.

When he closed the door, Roxas went straight to his couch and curled around the pillow. That went exactly as he envisioned it, except for the part when she told him she'd rather be friends after he told her he'd kiss her. Everything from there was entirely unforeseen.

But it wasn't a rejection. It sounded like one and it felt like one— or at least what Roxas thought what felt like a rejection, because it probably wasn't the same feeling he'd have if he kissed her. On top of everything was the shame of it all. Would it have gone differently if he hadn't said anything about kissing her? Maybe if he told her he liked her without jumping the gun it would've happened differently. He probably sounded eager.

He definitely sounded too eager.

No. He needed to slow down and think. She said that she liked him. The girl he liked said she liked him back. All she needed was time. It wasn't over yet.

Roxas relaxed a little. He rolled onto his back and inhaled the scent of her pillow. He still needed to tell her something she needed to know. As Roxas fought his embarrassment with resolve, he slowly slipped to sleep.

* * *

><p>They should not act on what they might be feeling.<p>

What?

WHAT?

She was brave enough to confess, but just scared enough to run away. She thought that it needed to be done, but confessing only managed to hurt him. That was exactly how it wasn't supposed to happen.

She was too scared to tell him she was afraid of getting hurt. She wasn't mad that he walked out on her, but it was hard to forget how hurt she was when he did. She didn't want to feel that again, especially since she wouldn't see him for a while. A long distance relationship was out of the question. To her, it was barely a relationship at all. The few, successful long distance relationships she knew of didn't begin with distance.

It would only make Naminé miss Roxas more. She liked him way too much given the time they actually spent together. He was the first boy she actually wanted to date. It was an unexplored territory, and Naminé wanted to do everything in her power to make sure she didn't mess it up.

It was undoubtedly selfish of her. Knowing how Roxas felt yet refusing to move forward was a way of keeping him around without getting hurt and without losing him. And what if she did ask him to kiss her? They'd enjoy it for a few hours, only to be distanced by at least a thousand miles. Naminé didn't know if she could handle it. If things fell through, what then? There was no guarantee she'd even be on speaking terms with Roxas. It'd go back to how it had always been, with each of them avoiding the other at all costs.

It was too much to put on the line.

Naminé buried herself under the covers and sighed. She needed to apologize and tell him the whole story. She let him walk out thinking it was a rejection, and she needed to apologize. If he knew that she just didn't want to lose him, maybe he'd understand.

She didn't remember when she fell asleep— or if she did at all— but the feeling of waking up was unmistakable. Naminé breathed deeply and stretched her muscles. Her head felt too heavy to lift from the pillow, so she rolled over and pushed herself up with her arms. She looked around the room. It was still dark outside, and the lamp on her bedside table was still on. Naminé opened her dry mouth and yawned.

The door opened. The drowsiness left her in a rush when she spotted Roxas standing at the door. He looked like he didn't get enough sleep. Yet, with the bags under his eyes and the memories of their night probably fresh in his mind, he was the first person to see her in the morning.

Then he smiled. It was the last thing Naminé expected him to do.

"You look like you just got mauled by a bear," he said with a snicker.

And that was the second-to-last thing she expected him to do. Naminé laughed. "You sure know how to make a girl feel good about herself."

"Whatever. I still—" He stopped and bit his lip. "You should get up. We're supposed to leave in twenty minutes."

"What?" Naminé tossed the covers aside. "Why didn't anyone wake me up?"

"You needed sleep." Roxas shrugged. "And now you have fifteen minutes to get ready, so you should probably get going."

Naminé took his advice and went straight to the bathroom. She was sure last night actually happened, but Roxas was acting like he normally would. She intended to talk to him about it after finishing her morning routine, but everyone was ready to go by the time she finished. Just as she packed the last of her clothes, Riku took off with her suitcase.

She met everyone in the car. The only available seat was up front. Though it was Riku's car, Roxas was driving. As soon as she got in, Roxas handed her a brown paper bag.

"Chocolate with sprinkles, right? Your coffee's right there." He pointed to the cup holder.

"Thanks," she mumbled. While Riku, Sora, and Kairi were talking loudly in the back, Naminé thanked every sip of coffee for waking her up. She finished her breakfast halfway through the ride, leaving her nothing to do but talk to the three in the back or Roxas. Though she wanted to apologize for the previous night, she felt the conversation was out of place if it meant that others could listen.

"The summer went by pretty fast, didn't it?" Roxas asked, catching Naminé off-guard.

"Y-Yeah. A lot faster than I thought. To think it's been over two months since I slept in my bed…"

"That's what you missed the most?" Roxas laughed.

Naminé smiled, staring out her window. "I guess. It'll be nice to be home again." She decided to change the conversation topic. "Weather's pretty nice, isn't it?"

"Sunny and breezy. It's perfect if you ask me," Roxas said.

Naminé turned to face him. "I'll definitely miss this."

The remainder of the car ride was filled with idle conversation. Roxas and Naminé eventually joined the conversation in the back, which lasted until they arrived at the airport. As they unloaded at the drop-off area, Naminé grew anxious that she'd never get to apologize. The urgency increased until Riku stepped in.

"Well, we can still spend a couple minutes here and make it back home in time for work. Why don't you guys stay with Kairi and Naminé until they go through the security gate?" Riku offered.

"You sure about that? Why don't you just park and come with us?" Sora asked.

"And waste money? No thanks." Riku walked up to Kairi and pulled her into a hug. "You need to visit more often. How will Sora get by if you're not here?"

"He's your burden to bear while I'm gone," Kairi said with a laugh. She pulled away from the hug and placed her hand on his shoulders. "Make sure he doesn't get you into any trouble."

"What? The only reason I ever get in trouble is because Riku's involved!" Sora whined.

They seemed to ignore him. "I'll do my best to both avoid him and keep him in check," Riku promised. He turned to Naminé and gave her a firm hug. "Visit when you get a chance, okay? And be careful around boys, will you? You have no excuse if you end up dating a sleazebag now that I've told you all the tricks of the trade."

Naminé laughed and squeezed him harder. "Right. I'll make sure not to date anyone who isn't at least as beautiful as you are."

Riku puffed his cheeks and shook his head. "Yeah, I don't think that's going to work. Those standards are a bit high."

"Good-bye, Riku." Naminé gave his hand a squeeze and smiled.

He walked around to the driver's side and looked at Sora and Roxas. "I'll be back here in fifteen minutes, so don't be late."

Naminé walked alongside Roxas, just slightly behind the couple in front of them. As they fell in line to get their boarding passes, Sora and Kairi left for a bit of privacy. Naminé saw her opportunity, but hesitated when she saw the frown on Roxas's face.

"Roxas?" Naminé bit her finger. Did it have to do with what happened between them?

He perked up when she called. His expression cleared and he looked her in the eye. "What is it?"

She almost sighed in relief. "You looked a little sad or maybe angry or something."

"Oh." His brow flashed upward. "Nothing to worry about. I just… I just really fucking hate this place," he declared emphatically.

Naminé cracked a smile as he chuckled. "It hasn't exactly been kind to you, huh?"

"Not in the slightest. The best thing it did was bring you here, and that wasn't even a good thing back then. No offense," Roxas said with a shrug.

Anxiety began to settle in the back of Naminé's mind. " Roxas, I'm really sorry over what happened last night—"

"What?" Roxas's eyes widened. "Naminé, I didn't mean it like that! I just meant that we didn't get along when you came here!"

Naminé was taken aback by Roxas's sudden change of demeanor. "You mean you're not mad about what happened?"

"Mad?" Roxas seemed desperate to clarify. "No way! It wasn't that bad— well, actually it kind of sucked, but I'm not mad about it. And I have something to tell you, but you should probably call your sister over since we're up next."

Naminé fought her curiosity back and called her sister to the line, where they checked their bags and received their boarding passes. They made their way to the security gate in slow, deliberate steps. Just before they got in line, Roxas whispered something to Kairi and Sora. He then pulled Naminé aside. "Give them a moment alone. Sora looks like he's about to break down."

Naminé looked over her shoulder and felt a dull ache in her chest when she found them. Sora looked at Kairi with watery eyes and a forced smile as she cupped his face. Naminé turned away.

"Roxas, I'm scared," Naminé said. "I don't want to lose you or what we have now. I don't know if I could handle going back to how we were before. And most of all, I can't do what they're doing now. I can't. I can't go away knowing I'd miss you more than I already would right now—"

Naminé inhaled deeply as Roxas pulled her into a hug. She was stunned and motionless, but quickly returned it as it registered in her mind. As she held him close and leaned into the warmth of his hug, she knew she couldn't handle it. She wouldn't be able to leave him. And though it terrified her to the very core that she felt so at home right there in his arms, it was just as exhilarating to have him for that fleeting moment.

Roxas's voice trembled as he whispered against her hair, "I'm going to miss you a lot."

"And I'd say the same thing, but that'd be my biggest understatement yet." Naminé laughed against his chest, bunching his shirt in her fist. "I don't even want to go back. I want to stay here."

"I don't want you to go either, but we both know you can't stay."

"Can you come with me then?"

Roxas laughed. "The scariest part of all this is that I _would_ if I could." Roxas seemed to have his own epiphany as he chuckled to himself. "Holy shit. I'd drop everything here in a heartbeat to be with a girl."

"That's so irresponsible," Naminé said. They both broke into a fit of laughter, parting from each other as Sora and Kairi approached.

"Riku just called Sora. I think it's time to go," Kairi reported.

"Well, looks like I'm going to be late for work." Roxas shrugged. He walked up to Kairi and gave her a hug. "Take care. I'll see you soon, I hope?"

"I hope so too," Kairi replied.

Naminé gave Sora one last hug too, trying her best to smile for him. The sight of his teary eyes broke her heart. "This is only good-bye for now, future brother-in-law."

Sora laughed. "Yeah. See you soon."

"Give your girlfriend one last kiss, will you?" Naminé gave him a light tap on the back for encouragement. She stepped to the side with a lopsided smile as Sora scooped Kairi into his arms and kissed her passionately. She had to look away.

"Gross." Roxas snickered when Naminé smacked his arm. "Just calling it like I see it."

"Hey, no comments from the audience, please." Kairi parted from Sora momentarily and narrowed her eyes at Roxas. "Don't you have something to do? I vaguely recall we discussed something when we got Nam's breakfast."

Naminé raised a brow. "What? You and Kairi got that?"

Roxas shifted uncomfortably and ran his hand through his hair as if internally debating with himself. He shrugged. "Eh, what the hell? Why not?" He moved closer to Naminé, his face mere inches from hers. "Close your eyes."

Naminé didn't have time to question it. Her eyes fluttered to a close as Roxas moved in. She felt his fingers lightly tilt her head upwards and felt his breath against her lips.

Her heart nearly stopped as he placed a soft kiss on her cheek.

Naminé exhaled, her entire body quivering as it came down from the high of anticipation. She opened her eyes, finding Roxas staring right at her.

"If you feel the same way about me the next time we see each other, do me a favor and save your first kiss for me," Roxas said with a smirk.

"You haven't had your first kiss either," Naminé said in a daze.

"No, I haven't. You don't have to worry about it either. I'm reserving it for someone I like, and I _promise_ I'll wait as long as I need to."

Naminé blushed. Every hair on her body was standing on end. "Good to hear," she said lamely.

They both turned when they heard a slow clap starting right next to them. "Wow. Smooth as fuck. Well done," Sora said as he nodded in approval.

"Smooth _as fuck_? Really, Sora? That's your way of saying it was romantic?" Kairi feigned apathy. "That was barely above average. Six out of ten, would not watch again."

Roxas shrugged. "The actual kiss is up to Naminé. Maybe next time, Kairi."

"I guess I'll take what I can get. Come on, Nam. Time to go." Kairi looped her arm with her twin's and pulled her toward the line.

Naminé snapped back to reality and looked back at Roxas. "Hey! You promise that you'll reserve that first kiss for me?" she asked him loudly.

Roxas looked around, momentarily shrinking under the gaze of onlookers. He sighed, standing straighter and nodding. "Yeah, but how did you know it was for you?"

Naminé giggled. "Lucky guess," she said under her breath. She yelled back at him, "I'll call you when you get off work!"

"Call when you get home!" he yelled back. "I'll see you soon!"

"Yeah! See you soon." Naminé took in the sight of his smiling face and turned around. "I... I don't know how you're not a bawling mess right now. I can barely keep it all together and we're not even on the plane," Naminé said to Kairi.

"The only hard part is the lack of physical contact. I don't have to worry about anything else if I know he loves me," Kairi said. "That's my personal opinion, at least. I don't know if it's the same for you, but I wouldn't worry. You guys like each other too much for anything bad to happen."

Naminé handed her boarding pass to the security member, internalizing Kairi's words. "Yeah," she said with a nod. "We do."

* * *

><p>Naminé slept the entire flight, waking only when the mid-afternoon sun shone through her window. Kairi was already awake. She handed Naminé a pair of sunglasses with an apologetic smile.<p>

They were home.

The Radiant Garden airport was bustling as the girls made their way to baggage claim. Neither spoke much until they found their mother waiting for them. After claiming their luggage, they were on their way home. The car ride was filled with a recap of their vacation, with some parts described with more details than others. Naminé gathered that Kairi kept her relationship with Sora a secret from their mother as well. When asked about Roxas, Naminé merely stated that they had gotten past their differences. She didn't say anything more than that.

As they got drew closer to their house, their present location began to sink into Naminé's mind. They were more than a thousand miles away from Destiny Islands now. They'd have an entire week with nothing to do but sit at home and wait for school to start. A whole week that could have been spent on vacation would just go to waste.

As soon as they got home, Naminé brought her suitcase into her room and looked around. It was just as she left it: her bed was perfectly made and her textbooks were stacked neatly on her desk. She walked over and fell onto her bed.

Roxas. She was supposed to call Roxas. She got up, dialing his number as soon as she got a hold of her phone. Just as the last ring came to an end, he picked up.

"You called," he said, almost sounding relieved.

Naminé smiled. "You answered."

"That's typically what happens when you call," Roxas joked.

"Only when I call?"

"Maybe. There will come a day when I intentionally ignore your call for something else," Roxas said nonchalantly. "But yeah. For now I'll do whatever it takes to trick you into liking me and becoming my girlfriend."

Naminé blushed. His girlfriend? The thought seemed so foreign and right at the same time. "You're awfully brave now that you're hiding behind a phone call."

"I don't need to see you in person to know that it's working."

"I'm starting to remember why I hated you before this summer," Naminé chimed.

"I don't think you mean that. Or would you like to admit that all this time you've been fighting your unparalleled attraction towards me?" Roxas asked. She could hear the smirk on his face, and for the first time since she left, she wanted to punch him. "Like I said, I'm doing everything in my power to make sure your feelings don't change."

Was this how it was going to be for the next few months? Naminé buried her face in her bed sheets and took slow breaths. "I can get used to this."

With a mix of mirth and longing, Roxas's voice came through the receiver. "You're going to have to."

* * *

><p><strong>Redeeming Endeavor:<strong> This was obviously not the last chapter, but I like messing with you guys and seeing who reads this entire page. Notes available.

I did say to a few of you a long time ago that this story wasn't going to end with the summer. Honestly though, there's not much left. I think I can fit everything I want to in about three or four chapters. And an epilogue, because we love closure. Again, this is not the last chapter.

Thanks for the favorites and reviews! I'm pretty sure a large percentage of those alerts are not reading anymore since I took that long break, but I'm pretty sure that all these recent ones are signs that you guys still enjoy this story.

And... it happened. On my second real attempt at a real story, I got over one thousand reviews in twenty-three chapters. The response to this story has absolutely floored me to speechlessness. Honestly, I'm at a loss for words if I'm resorting to one like speechlessness. Thank you so much guys!

Of course, I wouldn't have gotten here without the responses from **DegreeBound205, Burai Stelar, Caramelized, GengaJupite, Squishy Moogle, Kuroiikawa, D-Ro2593, vicucha, candybear24, elspoek1, Handwritten, Lupus7, LittleKairi, wolfanime25, ohnoitsKatie, kaibasgirlx, athgeass, GreyPurpleBlack, Justice333, monkmonkeys, Gear001, Revenge of the Red Pen, FromSoraXWithLove, Ash09, Xerzo LotCN, A Story In The End, CJ122, Marionette of Ancient Relics, Azusa-Angel, KurukiXV, Tenshi Yami- Angel of Darkness JubbaWubba, g-peachy-chan, Pili1995, Maskedgirl3, Muledragon, Brown Eyed Sage, Sookdeo, Abominable-IcePrincess, Emperor Xirchs, Otherguy14, TheShadowRiders, EnterAbyss2991, Polymoly, Haido Retreat, kingdomheartsoverload, ShadowTwilight, BerserkerNobody, nyan-tardis87, MrScruffTheNinjaTuna, LovingthisStory, meandmyfriend, Jazzypicks143, and BrothersGrimSVSD. **I apologize if I never got back to you on your review, but do know that I've read it. I really appreciate the support.

I know I said I'm back, but I really didn't anticipate I'd take more than a month. I'm planning on making the chapters a little shorter to increase the frequency. Thanks for reading! Take care, and see you around.


	25. The Law of Distal Attraction

**Redeeming Endeavor:** The notification for the last chapter did not go out to everyone. Make sure you read that. And even if you have, you might want a little refresher since it's been a while.

* * *

><p><span>Chapter 25: The Law of Distal Attraction<span>

Even though they were separated, Roxas found ways to fight the long distance. Unfortunately, that directly contradicted Naminé's plan to confirm her feelings. It was a bit hard looking at the bigger picture when someone was essentially shoving the photo in her face.

For the next few months, Naminé dealt with text messages, calls, video conferences, and even snail mail from Roxas. Distance, and perhaps the shame-shield provided by technology, only emboldened him to exercise his flirting prowess.

Naminé could have handled it better. She could have ignored everything, but in reality she enjoyed the attention. Not only that, but she enjoyed talking with Roxas. So with every text message, call, video conference, and mailed envelope that came, she answered.

She wasn't _dealing_ with it. She was actually taking it in.

The only reason why she didn't want to make anything official was so that she could clear her head. It shouldn't have developed so quickly, and it was rather fickle of her to loathe him at the beginning of summer and like him- like him a lot- by the end of it. That carried some implications. If she was so quick to start liking him, wasn't it plausible that she'd grow bored of him quickly as well? She had to make sure she knew her feelings weren't just flares of excitement over a new friend.

Roxas was just making it terribly difficult, and it wasn't entirely his fault. If she could ignore him for longer than a few hours, he'd back off.

Of course, Kairi liked to remind them that they were practically dating and that most people would label them as a couple: an official pair of boyfriend and girlfriend. People who claimed to be "just friends" typically didn't tell each other about their romantic feelings, nor did they usually know that the feelings were mutual. Kairi teased Naminé about that when she got the chance, as if Naminé and Roxas were some contrarian, pseudo-hipster, or counter-cultural pair that didn't subscribe to the labels of society.

Though it might have seemed that way, it was the opposite of what Naminé really wanted. But nothing in real life actually adhered to the scenarios of she had imagined. Like most people, she had her ideal way of falling in love and set of events that would unfold like a completely possible love story. She'd find a boy, maybe in a library or a park but most likely in school or the town center where she occasionally volunteered. She'd do something and somehow catch his attention, and he'd approach her because he'd be a lot smoother and super confident and she'd sure as hell be too shy to approach him. They'd talk and immediately hit it off because he'd appreciate art and listen to the same music and hate the same trivial things. They'd become friends, best friends even, and after months of countless lunches together, stargazing, and conversations that never should have ended, he'd one day confess that he had liked her all along.

It was entirely possible, right? Idealistic, but possible. She didn't believe everything she read on the Internet, but she had come across many a story that involved meeting in the most unlikely places. Who actually met in an airplane and sat next to each other and talked the entire flight? That was the sort of thing that only happened in movies. Two people bumping into each other and falling in love? Yeah right. Normal people excuse themselves and continue on their way. And then there were those stories about how two people had grown up together and had been friends pretty much their entire lives, only to discover that the one they loved was right next to them all along.

Actually, that sounded a lot like Kairi's and Sora's story.

Naminé tamed her imagination, but reality decided to be more unpredictable. Instead, she liked a boy she knew- in the sense that she knew he existed, anyway- since childhood. That was rare enough. Then they spent a good decade loathing each other with no intention of clearing any possible misunderstandings. They talked out of necessity because they happened to be around each other, and neither was shy when it came to voicing their displeasure. She essentially went from finding his face punchable to one she'd stare at every so often. That was the crazier part. If he wasn't far enough from what she imagined already, he didn't think much of visual arts at all, and instead of listening to the same music, he'd told her to listen to his and open herself up to more genres than she cared to hear.

Yet she fell for him. And if she were given the chance to choose between her ideal boy and Roxas, she'd choose Roxas. And if she were given the chance to replace Roxas with her ideal characteristics, she'd choose to keep him the same. Even if nothing went according to plan, and even if they couldn't have a normal relationship at the moment, Naminé wasn't just going to ignore her feelings or his. Not after they had the guts to yell about it in an airport.

So when Naminé's laptop lit up, she scrambled off her bed and knocked her textbooks to the floor in the process. After deeming herself presentable in the mirror, she did nothing to restrict the smile on her face as she answered Roxas's call.

* * *

><p>The school day finally ended, and Roxas was one of the few students left in the hallway. While Sora met with a tutor, Roxas passed time by looking at Naminé's photos on his phone. She didn't post anything recently, but Roxas acquainted himself with everything there. HE lingered on a picture that featured both of them staring back at the camera in Club Spades.<p>

"Huh. That girl looks way out of your league."

Roxas found Sora's tutor, Joshua, looking at the picture. Joshua didn't look the part- his long blond hair, untucked shirt, and generally messy appearance painted him as a delinquent- but he was one of the top students in their year. Roxas was pretty sure Joshua ranked second, just slightly behind the one person Sora could've asked for help, but didn't because he liked to make a competition out of everything with said person.

Roxas tucked his phone away and stood up. "Yes she is," he replied.

"She single?" Joshua asked.

"I said she was out of my league. I didn't say she was available," Roxas said.

"You also didn't say whether or not she was single."

"I'm pretty sure you don't actually care. I always got the impression you played for a different team," Roxas retorted.

Joshua smiled. "Let's skip to the end of this conversation then. I just wanted to know if you two were dating. Think about that for a while." He tucked his hands into his pockets and walked off just as Sora arrived.

Roxas moved on and drove home with Sora. Ever since Kairi left, Roxas was always looking for changes in Sora's attitude. There were none: Sora went about his day as his happy-go-lucky self even without his girlfriend around. Roxas always wondered how that was possible, especially since he couldn't go more than two hours without talking to Naminé. He wouldn't call it an addiction— surely he could stop if he ever wanted to— but it was probably the closest description of his recent behavior.

As soon as he reached his room, Roxas turned on his computer and called her. He changed clothes as the call went through, but it connected before he finished.

"Oh no. No no no. We are not having that kind of call," Naminé said as her image refocused from pixelated tiles to a clear video.

"Don't act like you didn't enjoy it," Roxas said as he pushed his head through his shirt. "Anything exciting happen today?"

"Well, thanks to your text, my phone buzzed in the middle of a math quiz and prompted a lecture afterwards of how we're supposed to have them turned off," Naminé said.

"You could always do that," Roxas suggested.

"Or you could be a good student and not text while both of us are in class."

"Is this your way of telling me that I should change instead?"

"I only want what's best for you," Naminé said. "What about you? You ready to help me study?"

"I'm pretty sure someone tried to hit on me, but I could be reading into it. He basically asked if I was single," Roxas said nonchalantly.

"Wait a second. He?" Naminé asked.

Roxas ignored her. "Other than that, today was uneventful. So I'm ready to study when you are."

"I always thought you had a feminine face. No wonder boys find you attractive," Naminé said to herself.

"Wait, what?" This time, Roxas was ignored.

"Let's get started then."

Roxas had become accustomed to his new routine with Naminé, which basically entailed following her lead. He was okay with that. It made things easier for him. He'd make an advance, then she'd squirm a little and manipulate the conversation without turning him down. Did it make her uncomfortable?

Even if it did, he wasn't going to stop unless she demanded it. Given their history, Roxas secretly enjoyed teasing her. It wouldn't feel right if he treated her _lovingly_, at least not without making fun of her. Maybe that would eventually change, but for now it didn't feel right.

For the next few hours, Roxas watched Naminé recount her exam material and recite the Citric Acid cycle from memory. With her midterms coming up, he promised to help her study one of her weaker subjects.

His attention was more focused on her than the review document she sent him though. His eyes jumped from her face, lingered on her neck, and darted to her shoulders left uncovered by her halter top. Would her skin be as soft as it looked? Roxas imagined the feel under his fingers. When would he see her again? He needed to confirm it himself. As soon as he realized what he was thinking, Roxas shook his head and found Naminé staring directly into the camera.

"Are you even listening to me?" she asked, crossing her arms over her chest.

"Of course I am," he lied. There was no way she fell for that. "Continue from where you ended."

"Remind me where that was, please?"

He cleared his throat. "That one part in the middle."

"Which part?"

"Oh, you know… the one with ATP involved." He smirked. He knew he had been caught.

"You're supposed to be listening!"

"And I have been, until you started reciting it a fifth time when the other four times were correct," Roxas said, leaving out the part where his thoughts drifted to unrelated topics. "And I always listen to you. Don't act like I don't. I've listened so much that even I could recite the Krebs—"

"Citric Acid."

"Same thing— point is I have it memorized too, only because I listened so many times."

"Prove it then," Naminé said.

"Seriously?" Roxas raised a brow. When Naminé didn't react, he closed his eyes and parroted the entire cycle back to her. He silently congratulated himself for studying so intensely two weeks prior when he had his own exam.

Naminé pressed her lips into a thin line. "Fine. You know it, but can you just listen to me one more time? I need to be sure I have this down."

Roxas laughed. "Well be my guest. Besides, I love it when you talk dirty to me."

"And now I know where your mind has been the whole time," Naminé said, her blush apparent even on the computer screen.

"What? I find smart girls sexy. Could be worse, right?" Roxas shrugged. "I only date girls smarter than me too. That's just my personal standard."

"Oh really?"

"Yup."

"You only date girls who are smarter than you," Naminé repeated.

"That's what I said."

"Huh. That doesn't really tell me much, does it?" Naminé turned away from the computer screen. "I mean, that's quite a large dating pool."

Roxas's mouth dropped open. He laughed, dragging out a long "O" as he sat back in his chair. "I can't believe… you are… you are so mean! I kind of like it," he joked. A website link appeared in the chatbox below the video feed. "What's this?"

"A list of home remedies you can use to treat your recent burns," Naminé said. "You're welcome."

Roxas shook his head. How did she do that, and why did it have such an effect on him? It couldn't have been normal. Exchanges like that weren't supposed to make him wish she were with him just so he could smash his lips against hers and feel her body pressed against his. He probably should have been worried that he found Naminé's wit arousing. It was probably another thing he carried over from their past relationship. He was a glutton for punishment now.

"God you're so hot," Roxas said under his breath.

"What?" Naminé smiled at the camera, leaning closer for him to clarify.

Roxas snickered. It was better that she didn't hear him say that. It was probably sexual harassment. "Nothing, nothing!" He waved it off. "Let's continue. What else do you got?"

* * *

><p>Months passed, and Naminé eventually scrapped her old plan to get some space. Not only did it suck, but she actually had tons of space in the form of physical distance. There was also an ocean— granted, not an entire ocean— between her and Roxas. So she embraced the attention. She expected the calls from Roxas, and expected him to be ready for her to call him whenever she wanted. Though they still lacked the label, Naminé considered herself taken.<p>

She just never told Roxas that part. It still didn't make much sense to call Roxas her boyfriend when all they had done together was talk for a few hours every day on the computer. Some things were better shared in person anyway.

Kairi probably would have freaked if she knew, but she hadn't bothered them in a while. It definitely had to do with her walking in Naminé and Roxas's conversation of making _asiten_, which was really just a stronger version of _asinine_, an actual word that would spread enough to be added to the dictionary. It wasn't their most profound conversation. Kairi mentioned that she had lost all hope for them after listening to them for a few minutes.

Given that she talked to Roxas daily, Naminé noticed that Kairi handled the distance with Sora in a different manner. Naminé didn't know whether or not it was the same the previous year, but Kairi rarely talked to Sora on the phone. Dating him didn't mean talking to him a lot— or at least Kairi didn't make a big display about talking to him. Perhaps she was still trying to hide that fact from their mother.

Admittedly, Naminé eavesdropped a few times when she did hear Kairi talking on the phone with Sora. The conversations were pretty mundane. Worried that something might have been wrong, Naminé pulled a page from her sister's book and decided to find out for herself. It took her a few days to muster the courage to talk to Kairi about potential relationship problems, but Naminé wanted to let her sister know that she was there. Praying for the best, Naminé brought up the topic at the end of one of their conversations.

"Why do you think there's something wrong?" Kairi asked.

Naminé blushed. Why did Kairi have to look like the question was completely unwarranted? "I just thought there was trouble since you weren't talking to Sora," Naminé said.

"I talk to him though," Kairi said.

"Yeah, but not… you know. You guys are dating, so I thought you guys would want to talk more or something."

"Nam, Sora and I are fine. He's my best friend, and we can live without talking to each other every day," Kairi said.

"Well if you're so okay, then forget I said anything," Naminé said. Sure, she compared her habits with Roxas to Sora's and Kairi's, but if she was going to be teased about it, then she'd just leave Kairi alone.

"Oh don't take it that way! Get back here!" Kairi ordered Naminé to stay in the room. "Fine. If you really want to know, I don't think I _could_ talk to Sora every day. I honestly have no idea how you and Roxas can do that."

Naminé sighed. She sat at the end of Kairi's bed. "You miss him a lot," she said.

"So much that I try not to think about him." Kairi hugged her knees to her chest and hid her face. "Stupid, I know. My solution to this long distance thing is more distance."

Naminé got what she wanted. Too bad she didn't plan anything to say in advance. "Um, is it helping?" she asked. "How's Sora taking it?"

"Sora's getting by the same way he has when I didn't know he liked me. It's just easier if we… ugh." Kairi raised her head. "I'm just going to tell you, and you're not going to tell anyone else. The biggest reason why we don't talk to each other often is because any conversation we have that lasts over half an hour turns into a discussion of how awful it is not being able to have sex."

"W-What?"

"Yeah, I know it's not guaranteed we'd ever find enough time alone, but at least we had the option." Kairi leaned against the headboard, her chin held high. "Judge all you want. I miss it too much to care."

"I'm not judging you," Naminé replied quickly. "I'm just surprised."

"I know you have something to say though, so just say it," Kairi said.

When did they get here? This was definitely not on the list of possible directions Naminé came up with in the few seconds since their talk began. If she knew it was going in this direction at all she would have avoided it. She never even suspected that Kairi had already gone that far, if only because she never saw Sora going through with it too. Naminé pushed her initial reactions aside, ignoring any judgments she already made. Left with nothing to say, Naminé blurted a jumbled mess of words to fill the gap in conversation.

"Was he big?"

The soft hum of the air conditioning came to a slow end, rendering the room still and silent. Naminé opened her mouth, closed it, and mentally cringed. She needed to leave. "That was not— I did not mean to ask that. I didn't _want_ to ask that 'because I don't want to know, not really, not really at all."

Kairi giggled, her laugh a crescendo of stutters to squeaks and gasps for air. "_That_ was the first thing to come to mind?" she asked.

Naminé burned with shame, the room growing hotter with each second. "No it wasn't! I just had a bunch of questions and just picked one! I have no idea why it was even there because I don't want to know!"

"Yeah, sure," Kairi said as she regained her composure. "I'd say that's the last thing I expected you to say, but that didn't even make the list."

"I think we should—"

Kairi interrupted her. "Nam, Sora has the biggest one I've ever seen."

Naminé blushed, her shame replaced with curiosity. "_Really_?" she asked, her eyes widening.

"I'm dead serious. And just so I know, how many penises do you think I've seen?"

"One?" Naminé ventured a guess. Her answer clicked a few moments later. "Oh. _Oh._ That makes a lot of sense." Naminé's shoulders drooped. Head bowed, she placed her feet on the floor and turned her back to Kairi.

She tried to run out of the room. She really did. But Kairi was faster, so Naminé was pulled back onto the bed and thrown onto her back.

"No! Let me die in the comfort of my own room!" she yelled in her struggle to break free.

"If you wanted privacy, then you shouldn't have asked for private information!" Kairi pressed a pillow into Naminé's face. "I'm telling Roxas what you asked me, you perv!"

"I'll kill you if you do!" Naminé said as she pushed Kairi off her. The two broke into a fit of laughter, resetting the conversation. "I'm sorry for asking that," Naminé said as she fanned herself with the pillow that was previously suffocating her. She told herself her reddened face resulted from the sudden increase in temperature.

"Don't worry about it," Kairi replied.

"I can't believe you actually saw it."

"Never really got a good enough look. Too distracted by other things."

"This can't be appropriate," Naminé said. She turned herself over, tucking the pillow underneath her arms. "Talking with your sister about your sex life? We shouldn't be so casual about it, right?"

"I don't know. But I want to talk about it and I don't have anyone else. Who am I going to go to? Mom? My track teammates? I don't trust any of them with that information, and I can't talk to Sora about it because it'll make everything worse."

"Is that healthy? And is Sora even okay with it?" Naminé asked.

"I think we're much better off if I don't tell him how badly I want to sleep with him. It's not like I'm unsatisfied with what we've done. And like I said, he'll be fine and get by like he always has," Kairi said dismissively.

Naminé had no idea what Kairi meant by that, but chose to ignore it. "It's your relationship."

"Don't you and Roxas talk about this stuff?" Kairi asked.

"What stuff?"

"Sex."

Naminé blushed. "Of course not!" What do you think we talk about anyway? Actually, don't answer that."

"Nothing exciting, apparently," Kairi muttered under her breath. "Didn't you guys confess to each other? You're talking every day because you're dating, right?"

"Wha— no! We're just trying to get to know each other still," Naminé said.

Kairi shrugged. "Sounds like dating to me. He doesn't need to be your boyfriend to date him. It's the other way around: you have a couple dates, then decide on whether or not to date exclusively."

Naminé bit her lip. "If you put it that way, then maybe we are." She quickly backtracked. "But we never talk about that stuff. There's no… uh, physical relationship. Not like there can be."

"The fact that you call it a physical relationship probably means you're not ready for one," Kairi pointed out.

"We don't think of each other like that," Naminé said. She kept a "not yet" to herself.

"You mean you don't think of him like that. He's a guy. He's gone all the way with you at least once with his imagination."

Naminé groaned. "Why would you say that?"

Cut the crap. If you're trying to be naïve, stop. It's not cute. It's just unattractive," Kairi deadpanned.

Naminé frowned. In her last conversation with Roxas, they both expressed a similar and strong opinion on willful ignorance. He'd call her out too if he saw her now. "Sorry. I just like thinking Roxas is better than that," she said.

"I'm tempted to ask what makes him better for not thinking like that, but we'll ignore that for now," Kairi said. "Just do him a favor and stop making assumptions. You're in for a world of hurt if you paint him up to be someone he's not."

Naminé rolled her eyes. Her sister was right. Rather than come up with a smarmy comment on Kairi's sage advice, Naminé changed the subject. "Have you ever noticed that our most notable conversations revolve around boys?" she asked.

"What else would it be? We could talk about school and rehash everything we know about each other. You could also listen to me complain about Mom. But isn't that boring? We're twins, Nam. I can practically read your mind. Why not talk about the one thing new to both of us?" Kairi asked.

"I'm not saying we shouldn't talk about it. For the record, I like having someone to talk to about this," Naminé said.

"Good. I'm only slightly less lost than you are when it comes to relationships." Kairi smiled. "All right. Go and tell Roxas everything we just talked about now. I'm going to call Sora and I don't want you listening."

Naminé wanted to deny it, but lying wouldn't benefit her at all. She got up and threw a pillow at Kairi. "I know you only knew that because you're doing the same exact thing," Naminé accused.

"See? There's that twin telepathy I was talking about."

* * *

><p><strong>Redeeming Endeavor: <strong>I'm going to shorten the chapters so I can update more often. This story should end by September, since I've got two or three chapters left and an epilogue around this length. I found that I've lost my touch with these characters (they're not even mine, and the disconnect is really messing with me), so if you feel like nothing really happened, it was more a way for me to reacquaint myself with them. I need to rattle off some chapters and turn the last page.

There are no notes available. I just struggled a lot, rewrote this a few times, and then chopped the original chapter in half and am posting it here now. School has started again, so I hope everyone who is back and is going back has a wonderful year. If you're done with school, then I hope you enjoy weekday outings and any other adult benefits that come with a new school year.

Hoh. Lee. Sheeeeeeit. This took way too long.

I'd like to thank **TheShadowRiders, monkmonkeys, Mina Arellano, BrotherGrimSVSD, GengaJupite, It's My Lucky Charm, Kinetic Monkey, Justice Tokidoki, Xerzo LotCN, LemonCookie, FromSoraXWithLove, ShadowTwilightXIII, PumpedUpKyx, Bezerker21, Tenishi Yami- Angel of Darkness, Le Neko-neko, Sookdeo, Draconic, Alrysse, Vitality Astral, Pili1995, Versivalia, pyororo67, Kuroiikawa, Omega, Welllookatthat, Pur3picness, Pink Star Art, Dancing under the velvet moon, HopelessRomanticCookie, ChuckleBunny, xuxin, Awkward Dork, Jazzypicks143, EnterAbyss2991, Bguest, CascadeofRaindrops, CarelessWhispers13, Burai Stelar, Dramamamapwnsall, A-Scattered-Dream, Lilly, PantiesOnFire, Keytotongu, Prince Sky Heart, PinkParadise23, killingtex, Wolve'sApprentice, shoang, RoxasNami5ever, Twenty-Twenty-One, and Satyrykal** for reviewing after reading. Gotta say, some of your reviews made me laugh. You guys are funnier than I am. As always, let me know if you guys find some errors that need to be corrected.

Harmless(?) Author Fact #25: Find me on Xbox Live! Gamertag is Darth Darda. We can play together (or if you're silver, the most we can do is chat) if we have any of the same games, or even chat!

Chapter Data- 4122 words, 828 minutes.

I kinda wanna update ATH. Perhaps I'll do that before updating this again. Take care, everyone. I'll see you around.


	26. Gravity

**Redeeming Endeavor**: I'm back and I'm ready to run. Also, check out Kyorii's latest story if you missed it. I collaborated with her and Jomatto.

Wait what?

* * *

><p><span>Chapter 26: Gravity<span>

Months passed, holidays came and went, and spring break finally arrived the week after Naminé's (and Kairi's) 17th birthday.

As a belated birthday present, their mother had led them to a remote lake house on the countryside, hours outside the nearest big city. The lake house had been built on the edge of a small unnamed lake (living up to its namesake), which was a ten-minute drive from the nearest town and the comforting sight of civilization. Unfortunately, the only nearby signs of the modern world were large wooden posts, connected with a seemingly endless wire, that lined the dirt road. The lake house itself had no TV, no internet connection, and an unreliable cell phone signal. But the lake house did have electricity. Then again, so did rich people in the late 1800s, so maybe that wasn't something noteworthy.

Naminé questioned her mother's "gift." Nature was lovely and all, but the lack of a cell phone signal just seemed dangerous. Three women in a secluded lake house seemed like the perfect set up for a horror movie. It didn't help that the lake house was obscenely large for three people. Naminé couldn't think of one reason to rent a two-story five-bedroom house. Were the other rooms there for an axe murderer to hide in?

Whatever the case, she had picked her room carefully. Hers was the closest to the stairs, and she had insisted Kairi sleep in it too since she didn't "want to be alone when a murderer arrives." Her mother had laughed it off and took the master bedroom downstairs despite Naminé's warnings that she'd be the first to go.

Naminé's room was perfect, and not just in terms of escape paths. She picked the only room—besides the master one—with a private bathroom, and her window opened toward the lake. She had spent her past two mornings sitting at the window nook, her window open and her sketchpad in her lap. She had added more details to her sketch with every session until she had captured everything she wanted.

It was well past noon now. Naminé sat at the nook with her back against the wall and her legs stretched in front of her. A light breeze swept by, cooling her face and filling in for the lack of an air conditioning system. Kairi sat on the edge of the lake with their mother. They were painting their nails, idly chatting about something. They had grown much closer after the new year started, and both seemed happier about it. Naminé had asked Kairi about the sudden change in their relationship, and Kairi had explained that she was simply being more transparent.

"I told her everything about Sora," Kairi had said. "She was surprisingly okay with it."

"Everything?" Naminé had asked. She had doubts that Kairi would reveal what she had gotten away with during their summer vacation.

"Fine, not everything. No dirty details, but enough to know that I'm serious about him."

Naminé had never seen their mother support one of Kairi's choices so strongly before. Apparently she was on board with Kairi dating Sora.

Next to Naminé's mother and sister were the kayaks and canoe pulled ashore on the bank. They had taken the kayaks out yesterday, all three of them, and Naminé learned that her physical education classes hadn't been doing enough to keep her in shape. Kairi, of course, was perfectly fine, and even their mother never got tired. Naminé, however, was exhausted by the time they had returned to shore. Her arms were still sore from all the rowing and paddling.

She was a little bored now and wished she had something else to do. She would have settled with a book, but there weren't any in the house that interested her. Above all else, she would have loved to give Roxas a call, but with no internet or phone, that was out of the question.

The last time she spoke to Roxas had been three days ago, or the day they left Radiant Garden for vacation. Roxas had seemed pretty down the entire conversation, which was easily understandable given that he had spent the previous month concocting a plan that would give Naminé an excuse to visit.

Their spring breaks didn't line up, but Roxas had made it clear that he wanted to arrange something for the Island Spring Festival, which happened during her weeklong break and a week before his school break. When Naminé brought it up with her mother, plans had already been made. The lake house had already been booked, her mother had arranged time off, and the plane tickets had been bought.

"We'll meet again. If not soon, then we'll meet in the summer," Naminé had said when she tried to improve his mood.

"That's a really long wait, Naminé. That's a really, really long time."

In general, their conversations since the second semester started had been pretty lackluster. They didn't talk as much as they used to, and Roxas seemed more resigned than ever before. Naminé had a feeling it had a lot to do with Xion's absence, which only made her more frustrated at the fact that she couldn't really do anything for him. When their new semester started, Roxas had buried himself in sports and other extracurricular activities. Their daily conversations had dwindled to weekend conversations, and then even further to once a week or once every week and a half.

Naminé got up, placing her feet on the cool wooden floor. It creaked beneath her as she walked down the stairs. She didn't want to think about Roxas, but those thoughts were as persistent as he was annoying just a year ago. Even after getting some space and separation, she still couldn't stop thinking about him.

She walked outside, slipping on her flip-flops before walking to the lake. The sun shined warmly as the clouds drifted by. It was the perfect day to be lazy; her sister and mother were clearly seizing the day.

"Mom, are we doing anything today?" Naminé asked as she approached her giggling family.

"We're relaxing, Naminé," her mother answered.

"No, we're trying to. Mom won't shut up about how much work she's missing or how much work waiting for her," Kairi said with a laugh.

Naminé pulled a plastic chair over and sat next to Kairi. "Well you can't paint your nails all day. That only takes so long."

Both Kairi and her mother stopped to look up. "And you called me a Debbie Downer," her mother mumbled.

"What's your deal, Nam? Something bothering you?" Kairi asked.

"I'm just wondering if we're doing anything today."

"Hon, quit sulking and sit up straight," her mother ordered.

Naminé sat up. "I'm not sulking."

"Just wait 'til tonight. We're still waiting on the other tenants," her mother said.

Naminé narrowed her eyes. "What other tenants?"

"You didn't tell her?" The question was directed at Kairi.

"I thought you said you were going to tell her," Kairi said.

They looked at each other, shrugged, then went back to painting their nails.

"Are either of you going to tell me what's going on?" Naminé asked. If she knew their new bond would lead to them having secrets, she would have tried to sabotage it a long time ago.

"What time is it? If it's near two o'clock, then you'll find out in half an hour," Kairi said.

"It's three, Kairi."

"Oh. Then they're running late."

"Could you make sure the other rooms are ready? And move my stuff to the room across from yours when you get a chance," her mother said absentmindedly.

"Oh, sure. No problem. Would you like me to try and open the locked cellar too? You know, just so we're sure there's no murderer in the house."

"Just remember to scream if you're about to get shanked. It'll give me and Kairi some time to row away." Her mother gestured to the double kayak with her chin.

"Love you too, Mom."

Naminé stomped off. She asked for something to do, and in a way she got one, but she liked it better when Kairi and her mother were at odds. Their whole mother-and-daughter bonding was getting annoying. And clearly her mother had learned how to deal with teenage sass after dealing with Kairi for so long.

As Naminé hauled her mother's luggage upstairs (with this and the soreness from yesterday's activities, her arms were now on fire and threatened to burn down the house), she wondered who the guest would be. Given that her mother and Kairi were extremely calm about it, it couldn't have been someone too foreign. Probably a family member, or maybe it'd be one of their annoying little cousins and rich aunt and uncle. Those kids were rather spoiled, and a vacation from all their electronics would do them a lot of good.

Naminé hoped that wouldn't be the case. Not only would that be the loudest, most rambunctious lake house getaway ever, but they'd be a liability if she needed to get away from—

She stopped. She really needed to ditch the horror movie narrative and enjoy her vacation.

Maybe it was her dad. Her parents were still on friendly terms, and he did stay with them from Christmas to New Year's Day, which marked the longest time they had all been together since the divorce. But it didn't make sense to rent out such a huge lake house for four people either. Her parents admittedly lived lavishly, but not to the point where they got a place with too many extra rooms. Naminé didn't think her father would survive long without being connected to his work either. The lack of internet and contact with his colleagues would kill him.

Naminé checked the other rooms, opening closets and pulling back shower curtains in the process. When she verified their vacancies, she walked back downstairs to heat up the leftovers from the previous night. The kitchen seemed newer than the rest of the house, as if it had been redone within the past year. The stainless steel fridge and the granite counter-tops appeared to be worth more than the rooms upstairs, and the freshly polished wooden cabinets served as the perfect complement to the black stove-top and elegant faucets. Even the floor tiles looked nicer than the rest of the house floor.

"This is my future kitchen," Naminé said resolutely.

She ate, and just as she was placing her dishes in the sink, she saw a compact car pull into the long stony driveway. She couldn't tell who was in the car; a glare reflecting off the windshield covered the driver up. Ignoring her instinct to call for her mother, Naminé made her way to the front door and walked outside. They were probably the guests she had heard about.

The driver and passenger doors opened. Naminé's breath hitched in her throat.

Sora smiled, folding his hands behind his head and crossing one leg over the other. To his right, Riku scratched the back of his head where his hair had been cut short. Naminé blinked. It was still gone.

"Well, I didn't expect to be greeted at the door. You enjoying my family lake house?" Riku asked. Naminé didn't respond: she couldn't get over the lack of hair.

She heard Sora chuckle. "Been a while, hasn't it?" he asked cheekily. "Sorry we're late."

* * *

><p>Roxas lowered the birthday cake his parents had just bought onto the floor behind the driver's seat of their rental car. He hopped into the driver's seat and started the car.<p>

"You never tell me what's going on anymore!" his mom whined in the passenger's seat. "Are you mad at me?"

Roxas deadpanned. "Mom, please stop."

"What happened to my baby boy who used to come home and tell me everything about his day?"

"He's dead."

"I just want to know if you guys are… you know!" his mother said. "Sora told me he was dating Kairi now. And last summer, you were always tagging along with your brother to see Kairi, but clearly you were meeting with Naminé."

Roxas groaned. "So what?"

"You guys get along now!That's a big deal, Roxas. And then every day after school you'd chat with someone on your computer. Was it Xion? Was it another girl? Do you have a girlfriend?" his mother asked, speeding up with every word. "Have you been talking with Naminé ever since summer ended?"

"You shouldn't have eavesdropped, sweetie," his dad chimed in.

"I wasn't!" his mom said defiantly. She turned back to Roxas. "Did you tell her that you're coming to see her?"

Roxas tightened his hands around the steering wheel. He had tried to call Naminé when his mother told him that they were going on a family vacation to the same exact place Naminé had described to him: a lake house, which turned out to be Riku's family's lake house, ten minutes from some rural town and a solid two hours away from Twilight City's center. Unfortunately, his call had never made it through. By then, her cellphone had probably stopped working.

"Roxas, don't ignore me!" his mom whined.

Roxas wanted to slam his head on the steering wheel. He knew this nosiness and energy too well. His brother was the same way, and Sora was definitely his mother's son. There was no doubt about it.

"Sweetie, he's obviously mad at you," his dad said without looking up from his travel book. His dad was taking extensive notes on Twilight City, preparing and planning for the rest of their vacation.

"Are you mad at me?" his mom asked.

"No," Roxas replied curtly.

She turned to his dad. "He said he's not mad at me."

"That's because he doesn't want to talk to you," his dad replied.

Roxas sighed. If Sora was his mother's son, then Roxas knew he was his father's. He turned on the radio, looking for a station that wasn't just static. He found an acceptable country station, turned it up, and hoped that his mother would understand that he didn't want to talk. It didn't stop his parents from chatting.

"Why doesn't he want to talk to me?"

"Because instead of letting him ride with the boys, you dragged him with us to pick up the cake and kept him from his lady."

Roxas clenched his jaw. His dad was on point today.

The rest of the drive was silent. Roxas wondered if Sora and Riku were already at the lake house. They had probably already seen Naminé and claimed their rooms. As miffed as he was about not being there yet, he was grateful that his parents decided to go on a vacation at all. As far as he knew, it was arranged pretty recently, or at least recently enough that he found out only a few days before leaving. Not only that, but he and Sora got to skip the three half days of school that led up to their spring break. The half days were intended for students to enjoy the Island Spring Festival, but Roxas thought a chance to see Naminé was the better choice.

It would only last six days—Naminé had already been here for three days, and they'd probably use that last day to travel back and rest before getting back to school. Still, he really couldn't remember what it was like when he last saw Naminé. It had been nearly a year—or at least half a year—since the time they parted. Staying in contact had both helped and hurt, and recently, it had hurt more than anything else. He had tried to separate himself using more distractions, but nothing was quite as uplifting as see Naminé's pixelated face on his computer screen and hearing her voice talking back to him.

He drove over the speed limit the entire way, earning a couple warnings from his dad in the backseat. Riku's little vacation house was farther from civilization than he thought. He had memorized the directions that Riku had given him already. He wasn't kidding when he said it was secluded. The road he drove on seemed to cut through nature, and pavement eventually turned into beaten path. Just as Roxas began to wonder when they'd reach the house, he saw a lone mailbox on the side of the road. He sped up.

He was here.

He nervously licked his lips, reviewing the possible ways in which he could act. He had practiced a thousand times in his mind, but he knew he wouldn't do anything out of the ordinary. Would he greet her casually? Should he go all out and run up to her and hug her? Should he pretend that he didn't like her as much as he did? His throat felt dry as he pulled in behind the other Riku car that Sora had driven. No one was at the door, but there was another car in the driveway.

"Get your bag and the cooler, Roxas," his dad ordered. Roxas opened the trunk, his eyes trained on the front door. It almost seemed surreal that Naminé was somewhere on the other side of it. He gathered his belongings and followed his mom, who rang the doorbell. Moments later, Naminé's mom opened the door. Roxas stood back as the two women embraced enthusiastically, laughing loudly and yapping like two old ladies who hadn't seen each other in decades, only they were just as shrill as any teenage girl at a boy band concert.

He hadn't seen Naminé's mother—Auntie Lana as he used to call her—since they moved to Radiant Garden back in middle school. Despite being the same age as his mother, his honorary aunt hadn't aged at all. She had Kairi's auburn hair (there were a few obvious gray hairs), but dark green eyes instead. The only difference from his childhood memory was that she was smaller than he remembered: an obvious sign that he had grown much taller since then.

He greeted her with a hug. She commented on his height, mentioning the same thing about Riku and Sora. Inside, they set down their bags in the master bedroom. Naminé's mom sent him upstairs, telling him that his shared room with Sora was the second room on the right.

The staircase was directly across the master bedroom. It was a straight set of stairs that led closer to the high ceiling of the living room, reception area, and kitchen, giving the entire house an open feel. The stairs led to a floor with a wide hallway, with two doors on the right and three doors on the left. Roxas went to the last room on the right and dropped his bags next to Sora's. He sighed in relief when he saw two twin beds separated by a nightstand. He wasn't looking forward to sharing a bed with his brother, but now he didn't have to worry about it.

"Find everything okay?" Naminé's mom asked. He jumped. He hadn't heard her approach.

"Yeah, it's really nice." He cleared his throat. "Uh, where is everyone?"

"Oh, they're not here right now."

"O-Oh."

"Wait, they're not here here!" she said quickly, motioning at the house and the floor. "They're down by the lake. I think they went to take the kayaks out. You should change into your bathing suit and join them! The weather's absolutely perfect right now, so it'd be a shame to waste it."

"Thanks. I think I'll do that then."

Roxas walked over to the window. In the distance, he saw two kayaks, but he couldn't make out the people riding them. It had to be Naminé and the rest of them though. He quickly changed, then ran outside. A small dock stretched a few meters into the water. Roxas walked to the end and sat down. The kayaks were closer now.

He nearly choked on his breath when he spotted her. She was there, sitting on a kayak with Riku paddling from the middle of the lake, her blond hair turned a cartoonish yellow in the afternoon sun. She was still so far away, but she was actually there.

"Holy shit. I can't believe this." Roxas laughed to himself, suddenly feeling drained. He didn't have to wait anymore. Months of texting and phone calls and video chats all led up to this moment, and the weight that he had felt in the days building up to the present disappeared. He was here and she was there in plain sight, wearing a white bikini and an unbuckled lifejacket, just as beautiful as he had always known her to be.

They were paddling toward him now. Rather, Riku was paddling, and Sora and Kairi were paddling in their separate kayak. Naminé threw her head back, probably whining about something. The others seemed to encourage her to paddle as Kairi splashed her. Roxas watched as Naminé looked to the lake house. He wished he could've seen her face when she realized that he was there. He knew the exact moment though: seconds before she was hunched over, her paddle laid across her lap, and now she was paddling clumsily, too quickly.

Roxas wanted to tell her that her movements were very inefficient, but decided it was something he could tell her later. He stood up, waved his arms, and walked back to the bank where a canoe was left ashore.

She was so close now. He smiled, and so did she. She pulled off her life jacket and handed Riku her paddle as they coasted to shore.

"Roxas!"

She stepped out of the kayak as it came to a stop. He took a step toward her before she tackled him with a hug. They fell into the grass, laughing. He wrapped his arms around her and pressed his cheek to her head.

This was all real.

"We meet again," he said. He could hear her breathing heavily into his shoulder.

"Told you so," she said in between breaths. She was hugging him so tightly that he thought he might suffocate, but she loosened her hold a bit. "Roxas, I…"

Roxas let his arms fall to her side, giving her a chance to look him in the eye. He took in every detail of her face. He waited for her to finish. "Naminé? What is it?"

"I… I feel like my arms are about to fall off."

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><p><strong>Redeeming Endeavor<strong>: How are you fine readers doing? It has been a while. So much for short chapters leading to more frequent updates. That's applying this year, especially since I have a lot more time on my hands seeing as how this is the last semester of my college career and I'm essentially done with my degree and oh my god I'm old.

The goal is to get this done by mid-February. There are maybe two chapters left. Yeah. There are two chapters and an epilogue left, all of which will be around the length of this chapter and last chapter. So that's not a lot! I'll have the updates more frequent for sure, especially since I want to do something for Valentine's Day and have this done before then.

I don't know if you guys know this (you do if you read the top note), but I recently collaborated with **Jomatto** and **xoKyorii**. It's under Kyorii's profile, and the story's titled "It's Good To Be Back." We actually came up with challenges for each other and it was a ton of fun, so if you want to read the result of that, go visit Kyorii. We also had a google doc that logged our status updates with each other, the outline that we threw together when we tried to organize ourselves, our rough drafts, and a few conversation highlights, which you can find a link to in my profile. Consider this a PSA: if you like my writing, check out theirs. They're awesome people, yes, but they're awesome writers too.

I think I'll save an important announcement for Chapter 28. For now, let's end my yapping.

I don't know why you guys put up with me, but **Versivalia, Marionette of Ancient Relics, FromSoraXWithLove, GengaJupite, KurukiXV, kaibasgirlx, Mina Arellano, Revenge of the Red Pen, Lilaclia, GreyPurpleBlack, Gear001, Satyrykal, CarelessWhispers13, PinkParadise23, Twenty-Twenty-One, CJ122, CherryTree, CascadeofRaindrops, Guest, Xerzo LotCN, GummyDrive, Vitality Astral, Otherguy14, Naivette, RedSeaGlassStories, Brown Eyed Sage, Justice Tokidoki, Bebe17, ADarkerHero, Muledragon, It's My Lucky Charm, LemonCookie2, anon, Listless-Nobody, Bellesora, Eternal Abyss 59, phuckinayes27, Demigod103, Burai Stelar, cloudy112,** and** Erdric Calhar**, you all have my thanks for sticking it out and reviewing despite the long waits. Thank you also to anyone who, in these past millennia, added this story to their alerts or favorites too.

Chapter Data- Total Editing Time: 923 minutes. Word Count: 3736. Twenty-Five Chapter Checkpoint: 19402 minutes (323 hours) of editing time. True Word Count: 200,172. 1126 reviews, 476 favorites, 463 alerts. 122,538 hits.

Were you disappointed with this chapter? If it makes you feel better, the next one's coming out in a week. I say that with utmost confidence because it's already done!

Thanks for reading. Take care, and I'll see you around.


	27. Event Horizon

**Redeeming Endeavor**: It's late, but for a reason. More on that later.

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><p><span>Chapter 27: Event Horizon<span>

Every time Naminé looked at Roxas, she found him staring right back. She'd look away, of course. In case the fact that she tackled him on sight hadn't been embarrassing enough, knowing that he noticed every time she looked his way made her feel like some love-struck schoolgirl who couldn't muster the courage to look at her crush. It didn't help that Roxas appeared so much cooler and unfazed. While she was struggling to contain her excitement, Roxas just seemed relieved to see her.

Around their parents, Roxas was even more reserved. Naminé figured that they all knew that she and Roxas got along, but she never exactly discussed whether or not she was dating him. She didn't really know herself. When Roxas seemed to act as if they were just friends, Naminé went along with it without an issue, partly because she thought of doing the same thing and partly because she wanted to keep something from her mother for not telling her that her real birthday present was a week with her friends from Destiny Islands. It may have been petty, but the fact that her mother unknowingly invited the boy Naminé liked felt like a small victory.

As the sun began to set, everyone sat outside and chatted while Sora and his father grilled dinner. As Naminé talked with Riku and Kairi, she'd glance at Roxas when Riku and Kairi riffed into their own tangents. Without fail, he'd be looking at her. Then she figured it out. It wasn't that she looked at him just as he was looking at her; rather, he was always looking at her. Naturally, their eyes would meet every time.

Flustered, Naminé excused herself from the conversation. She saw Roxas stand up and walk to the edge of the lake, so she followed him.

"They're going to notice if you keep staring, you know," she said, stopping when she stood beside him. She kept her eyes on the lake, admiring the way the sky's colors reflected on the surface but feeling Roxas's gaze aimed at her.

"Who is? Our families? Let them," he said. "Besides, if they didn't notice before, they definitely notice now."

Naminé blushed. It was almost certain that everyone at the picnic table was watching them now. "Well then I guess we're no longer under the radar."

Roxas shook his head. "To be honest, I had no idea how to react in front of our parents. I mean, I think my mom knows I've been talking with you online or a while, but... I don't know. To think that we spent all that time talking to each other and completely forgot how to break it to the family…"

Naminé laughed. "You make it sound like this is some huge announcement we have to make."

Roxas scratched the back of his head. "Let's keep playing this down then. We'll let them wonder and use their imagination. And it'll be a little easier to get away if they don't think we're serious."

Naminé wanted to ask why they would need privacy from their parents, but chose to keep silent. She rubbed her face with her hands and immediately regretted ever raising her arms. They snapped back into a relaxed position. "Whatever. No matter the method, we're here now, and I'm happy about that. Unlike _someone_ I know…"

"Are you saying I'm not happy to be here?" he asked.

"I didn't see you tackle me when you saw me," Naminé teased. "You also seem a little too composed here, so I feel like I'm the only one who wants to scream how happy I am right now."

Roxas shook his head. "It's only been a few hours and you're already trying to get a rise out of me. You're the one who pointed out that I won't stop looking at you, so don't act like you don't notice how I'm handling this _overwhelming _happiness."

"When you say it like that, it sounds sarcastic." Naminé crossed her arms. "Seriously though, what's with the staring?" she asked.

Roxas smirked. "Does it bother you?"

Naminé rolled her eyes. She knew exactly what he was doing. "If I say yes, then you'll keep doing it because you think it's funny to creep me out. If I say no, then you'll keep doing it because I'd supposedly be okay with it. Either way, you're not going to stop. Who's the one trying to rile up the other now?"

Roxas snickered. "You know me too well."

Sora called them from the picnic area to let them know dinner was ready. Roxas and Naminé turned back up the hill, taking slow and deliberate steps.

"Roxas," Naminé said, "did you know that this whole thing was going to happen?"

"This vacation? I found out a few days before. When I tried to tell you though, your cell phone service was already gone. I think Sora knew though."

Naminé nodded slowly, making eye contact with her smirking twin sister. "Of course he did."

* * *

><p>Naminé had a feeling that Kairi had orchestrated the entire thing, which turned out to be correct.<p>

"We'll talk about it later tonight if you want to know how to get things done," Kairi had said with a wink.

After dinner, Naminé spent her time talking with Roxas's parents, Sora, and Riku. Roxas stayed quiet for most of the conversation, leaving Naminé to reflect a bunch of questions from his mother regarding their switch from mortal enemies to close friends. Naminé never noticed before, but Roxas's mother was quite nosy and energetic. The conversation—an interview, really—proved to be exhausting.

With an active day planned for tomorrow, everyone went inside just as the sky darkened completely. The night ended with a card game that was never really played correctly since everyone was tagging in and out with shower breaks. As Naminé followed her sister up to their room, their mother pulled them aside for a small family meeting.

It turned out to be a warning not to go into the boys' rooms during the night.

"If you guys are going into each other's rooms, I want it to be when it's bright outside and when the doors are open."

Kairi rolled her eyes. "Seriously? Fine."

"No, Kairi. That doesn't mean you can leave the door open a crack. It has to be wide open," their mother said. "And you better not be in Sora's room unless there's an adult in the house."

"We don't count as adults?" Kairi asked.

"Hardly."

"Mom, I'm not going to try anything with you next door. Maybe when you're not around, then yeah—"

"Kairi!"

"But I think I know better than that. Nothing's going to happen. You won't have grandchildren in nine months, I promise."

Naminé laughed. Their mother huffed.

"Nam, please make sure your sister doesn't do anything stupid."

Naminé gave her mother a mock salute. "Sure thing, Mom."

The girls went across the hall and into their room, locking the door behind them. They broke into a laughing fit over the entire exchange.

Naminé slipped into the king-sized bed and made herself comfortable. Kairi followed, turning off the light before getting in.

"So you're going to tell me how this whole vacation thing came together, right?" Naminé asked, turning to face Kairi. She easily outlined Kairi's figure as the white moonlight came through the window.

"Why do you want to know so badly?" Kairi asked.

Naminé waited until her sister gave in—she clearly wanted to explain her master plan—and began to elaborate. Kairi explained that she had originally planned on visiting Destiny Islands during their break, but their mother had denied her. Without the possibility of repeating her previous spring break, Kairi had played her trump card.

"Why wouldn't Mom let me go to the Islands for spring break?" Kairi asked.

Naminé shrugged. "Because you pissed her off?"

"Maybe, but the real reason is probably because she suspected something. So since Mom is a total gossip, I gave her the scoop and told her about my and Sora's relationship," Kairi said.

She had cut her losses and played to their mother's weakness. The result, of course, was a strengthened relationship between the two. Their mother was happy to hear about Kairi's love life, and Kairi was happy that their mother approved. So when Kairi had brought up spring break again, she came up with a compromise involving a dual-family vacation. Kairi would get to see Sora, and their families would get to supervise. In addition, their parents would be able to hang out again.

"It was really a deal she couldn't refuse. Mom's really close to Riku's and Sora's parents, and the fact that she'd have me in her sights most of the time was pretty comforting. I had Sora tell his family to call Mom, and the rest is history."

"How come here, though? Why couldn't we all go to Destiny Islands?" Naminé asked.

"Here we get to spend quality time with Mom. At the Islands, she thinks we'd just go out and meet with our friends, which is totally true. Second, this is Riku's vacation home. His parents were supposed to come and all of us were supposed to do some sightseeing, but apparently they couldn't take time off. And finally, don't you think this is much better? Sora's a room over," Kairi said, "and so is Roxas."

Naminé snorted. "You're freaking terrifying."

Kairi giggled. "You should be thanking me. I merely played the cards I had been dealt, and you just happen to benefit in the process."

"Knowing you, though, you probably get something out of Roxas being here."

"That's rather cynical of you," Kairi said. "But it's completely correct."

Kairi threw off the covers and checked her watch on the nightstand. She walked over to the window nook and unlocked the window, then gave it a light push. It swung open.

Naminé sat up. "What are you doing?"

"I'll be sleeping in Sora's room tonight," Kairi announced nonchalantly. She climbed out the window.

The window to their room was situated just above the room of the covered patio. The room next door—Roxas's room—also had a window that opened over the roof. It had not occurred to Naminé that Kairi would go to such measures to get into Sora's room, and clearly their mother didn't anticipate it either.

"Kairi!" Naminé ran over to the window and grabbed her sister's arm. "Are you insane?"

Kairi rolled her eyes. "You and Roxas had two options: you could've told your parents that you two were dating, or you could've kept that a secret. If you told them, it would've taken a little attention off me and Sora, which is a win for me." Kairi reclaimed her arm and lowered herself onto the roof. Her head barely appeared over the windowsill. "If you didn't tell them, then Mom wouldn't think you'd let a boy sleep in your room. Therefore, she'd have no reason to suspect that I'd be sleeping in Sora's room and Roxas would be sleeping in ours."

Naminé's eyes widened. "What? What do you mean Roxas is sleeping here?" she asked frantically.

"You're welcome."

"Kairi, be serious!"

"Well he's not going to be in the room when I get there," Kairi said with a shrug. "I figure he won't have a problem here either. You're welcome to call Mom if you don't want me to go."

Naminé breathed in deeply. She had forgotten how Kairi could easily back her into corners. Naminé didn't want to tempt fate and risk their mom finding out, but she was far from opposed to the idea of spending more time with Roxas.

"Please don't get caught," Naminé whined.

Kairi flashed her a smile. "I would say I owe you one, but I'd say you're breaking even. I'll see you in the morning."

Naminé leaned out the window and watched Kairi silently walk over to Sora's window. She climbed up, grabbing someone's hand for help. Moments later, a confused-looking Roxas climbed out the window and onto the roof. The window closed in his face.

He turned to Naminé and walked over. "So Kairi told me I'm sleeping here for tonight?"

Naminé blushed. "It wasn't my idea. You can go back to your room if you want."

"You're giving me the option of sleeping with you or listening to my brother get it on with your sister. If this is considered a hard decision, this might be the easiest decision I've ever made in my life."

"You're not going to be sleeping with me!" Naminé said quickly.

"I was using sleep in the sense of sleep, not sex," Roxas said.

"Oh."

"I mean, if you—"

"Stop! Just don't even go there and get in." Naminé got out of the way.

"If you insist." Roxas climbed in and closed the window behind him. He left it unlocked. He stared at Naminé. "Are you just going to stand there?"

Naminé shuffled to her bed without turning around. Her heart pounded rapidly.

"You guys have a king bed? Why the heck didn't Sora just come here?" Roxas asked quietly.

Naminé hid under the covers and kept her back to Roxas, wondering if they were moving too quickly. Sure, she didn't exactly plan on having to sleep with the boy she was dating but wasn't really official with, but this was a legitimate problem. She hadn't even kissed him yet and he was already going to sleep in the same bed.

Or, he would be if he ever came in. Naminé noticed that ten minutes had passed and her bed hadn't shifted in the slightest. Unless Roxas was that stealthy, she was sure she would've felt or heard someone settling in on the other side. She looked over her shoulder only to find an empty space behind her. She sat up.

Roxas had remained on the window nook. He was too tall to fit comfortably, so his knees were bent and his hands were tucked under his head for extra cushion. She saw a flash a blue in under the white light of the moon. He was still awake.

"Roxas, what are you doing?" she asked.

"Trying to sleep," he said.

"That can't be comfortable."

"It's more comfortable than it looks."

Naminé gripped the edge of her blanket. Why had she assumed that Roxas was going to sleep in the bed? Of course it made more sense for him to sleep elsewhere. But he didn't look comfortable at all, and she didn't see him doing anything to her without her permission.

The thought made the room feel hotter than it was. Pushing her insecurities aside, Naminé threw off the covers and walked over to Roxas. He turned from the window, looked her up and down, and averted his gaze.

"Roxas, sleep in the bed," Naminé said.

"What?" He kept his eyes on the moon.

"You heard me."

"I'd rather not make you uncomfortable."

"There's plenty of room. Just stay on your side and we'll be fine."

He turned to look at her. "You're killing me, Nami. You know I can't say no when you're asking me like this."

"What?" Naminé asked. Did he just call her by a nickname?

He sat up, swinging his legs over the edge of the window nook. "This is straight out of one of my dreams."

He didn't make much sense, unless he was implying that she looked different somehow. As far as she knew, she had properly taken off her make-up and her face was as clear as it had ever been. She looked at her outfit. It was her normal sleep attire—a white camisole and a small pair of shorts she normally wore in warm weather—so it wasn't anything worth noting, except the fact that one of the thin straps of her shirt was falling off her shoulder. And, since she wasn't expecting to see a boy until morning, she wasn't wearing a bra.

She quickly adjusted her clothing and covered her chest. Roxas chuckled.

"Thanks for telling me earlier," Naminé said as she walked to the bed.

Roxas followed her and settled on the opposite side, as far away from her as the bed would allow.

It was a bit awkward at first, but Naminé knew that nothing was going to happen and calmed down a bit. Still, she knew Roxas was lying awake. She turned on her side. Roxas was on his back, staring at the ceiling.

"Roxas," she called. "Did you call me Nami earlier?"

Roxas smiled and shook his head. "Must have been your imagination."

"I'm pretty sure you did."

"Is that a problem? I'll stop if you want."

"Wow, someone's a little defensive. Are you embarrassed?" Naminé teased.

"Your mom's embarrassed."

Naminé giggled, throwing one her pillows at Roxas. It hit him in the face. She laughed a little harder, but was interrupted when he threw the pillow back.

"I'm okay with it, you know." Naminé tucked her rudely returned pillow under her arms. "No one's ever called me that though."

"Good. I'm calling dibs."

"You're claiming ownership over a nickname meant for me?"

"D-Did I s-stutter, Nami?"

Naminé regretted throwing her pillow at Roxas a second time since she spent the next few hours with nothing to smother her laughter. Roxas didn't make falling asleep easy with his chatter and jokes, and every time he'd stop, she would just egg him on and accuse him of falling asleep like a newborn baby. It was an absolute miracle that they were able to remain quiet enough. After telling Kairi not to get caught, Naminé learned that she would have to take her own advice.

Their routine was rekindled, and Naminé remembered the earlier days of their online conversations and how easy it was to get lost in them and how hard it was to stop. The ones now flowed just as easily, perhaps more so than before thanks to their proximity, and they built off each other's words with snarky comments and sarcastic quips. He was vintage Roxas again. After a day of restraint and hiding his feelings, Naminé once again saw him having fun and smiling easily over what had to be the worst and stupidest jokes Naminé had ever made in her life.

It felt great to be around him again.

Naminé attempted to steal her pillow back on occasion, but Roxas always kept it out of her reach. She managed to claim it back just as the sky was beginning to brighten by throwing herself across his body. He threw her back onto the bed, urging her to quiet her giggling.

"You're going to get us caught," Roxas said, biting back a smile as he tried to rip the pillow out of Naminé's arms. "If you wanted to get on top of me, you could've just asked!"

Naminé turned her back on him, protecting the pillow. "Nobody in their right mind would ask something like that! And you were the one who wouldn't give it back. I bet that's what you wanted me to do."

"Not that I'm opposed to that in the future, but no, I actually didn't want that. How am I supposed to sleep with two pillows?"

"You mean you're actually going to sleep?"

"You make it sound like it's the weirdest thing a person could do."

Naminé turned and frowned. "Well what am I supposed to do? Watch?"

"Well we're in a bed right now, so you have options, and one of them will keep me awake."

Naminé blushed. "That's not funny."

"Sorry. Didn't mean to make it awkward," Roxas said quickly. "You should sleep too. The sun's probably coming up soon anyway."

Naminé huffed. "I'm not tired though."

"You're tired, Nami. Just be quiet for the next five minutes. You'll see."

Naminé disagreed, but she relented. She turned on her side, still facing Roxas, and closed her eyes with one of her pillows hugged tightly in her arms.

She intended to wait out the five minutes and tell Roxas he was wrong, but she began to fall asleep. The last thing she remembered was the mattress shifting as if a weight was lifted off.

* * *

><p>The smell of bacon woke Naminé up. By then, the sun was already in the sky and Naminé's bed was empty. The kitchen downstairs sounded pretty active, and the door to her bedroom was wide open. Roxas was nowhere to be found. Behind her, the bathroom door opened, and Kairi walked out like she had just finished taking a shower. Kairi noticed her sister sitting up.<p>

"Good morning. You look like you could use some more sleep," Kairi greeted as she put away her towel.

"Where's Roxas?" Naminé asked, still a little groggy.

"In his room, I'm guessing. We switched back this morning," Kairi said. "Did he stay at the window the entire time?"

Naminé tucked herself back into bed and frowned. He must've moved there when she fell asleep. "I guess so."

"His dad saw me on the roof this morning," Kairi added nonchalantly.

Naminé sat up, now wide-awake. "Kairi, are you serious? He knows?"

"Yeah. As I was walking back to this window, he was drinking coffee and staring at the lake. Then he looked up and saw me. I waved, and he sorta raised his mug."

"We are so dead."

"I think we're fine. All the adults are eating breakfast downstairs, and I would think that Mom would be up here giving us an earful if she knew what went down." Kairi sat on the bed. "Did you sleep last night?"

"I slept enough," Naminé said before yawning. In truth, she wanted to sleep until noon. "You?"

"I didn't sleep at all, but I had a fantastic night, thank you." Kairi got up. "I'm going to see if Riku's up and eat breakfast. You should get dressed."

Naminé cleaned herself up a little and felt a bit more refreshed. Through a bout with soreness, Naminé managed to put on her white summer dress. She walked over to Roxas's room after. It was empty, though a little messy, and smelled as if someone used an entire can of air freshener. Open suitcases sat on the floor at the foot of each twin bed, and Naminé recognized their clothes from yesterday were sitting in a haphazard pile near the wall. She then checked Riku's room, which not only smelled normal—in fact, it smelled like Riku's cologne without attacking her nostrils—but was much cleaner. She turned to leave, but walked straight into someone's chest. She yelped.

"Is there a reason you're in Riku's room?" Roxas asked.

"I was looking for you!" Naminé answered.

"In Riku's room?"

Naminé didn't have an explanation for that, so she changed the subject. "Kairi told me that you were sleeping at the windowsill when she got back."

Roxas continued on their first subject. "For future reference, I won't be in Riku's room if you can't find me."

"Why did you move back to the window?"

Roxas ignored her question and returned to his room. He organized his bag, putting his dirty clothes in a plastic bag and tucking it away neatly. He sneezed. "They went a little overboard on the air freshener."

"Or maybe you're getting sick because you slept next to the window with no blanket!"

"My god, Nami. Will you drop it? As soon as I got to the window, Kairi was already on her way back," Roxas explained. "I was there for maybe five minutes, and even then I didn't sleep at all."

"Well you could've stayed in the bed!"

Roxas rolled his eyes. "Fine. If it makes you happy, then I'll stay in the bed tonight."

Naminé went silent. Not only did she realize that she was angry at Roxas for not sleeping in the same bed as her, but he also implied that he would be trading rooms with Kairi again. When did they plan all of this switching? Naminé couldn't recall a moment where they were alone to discuss it.

"How come you didn't tell me that this was going to be a thing?" Naminé asked as she followed Roxas to the staircase.

"Because I didn't know it was a thing until last night. Kairi came into our room without warning, Sora apologized to me, and then Kairi went 'How come you're wearing clothes?' to him. Then she said that it'd be better to go to your room and she'd come back to switch in the morning," Roxas said, whispering most of it before heading downstairs.

Naminé grimaced. "Oh. They were…"

"Apparently they didn't sleep either."

Breakfast was prepared by Roxas's parents and it was delicious. It was nothing out of the ordinary, but Naminé figured that their mom was a wizard of some sort since there wasn't a single pancake that wasn't perfectly round. Roxas's dad, despite seeing Kairi on the roof, didn't act any differently. He did have an interesting exchange with Kairi though.

"You wake up rather early for a man on vacation," Kairi said sweetly as she passed him the butter.

"I can say the same about you, Miss Kairi," He said as he filled out his Sudoku puzzle. "I like to wake up before sunrise and ease into my day. What's your reason?"

"I prefer to start every day with a little exercise."

Sora was completely oblivious to the exchange, and much to Naminé's relief, so was her mother. Naminé didn't understand why Roxas's dad was keeping their secret, but she wasn't going to question any of it.

After cleaning up, Naminé learned that their trip to the city was pushed back one day, meaning that they'd have to spend their time at the lake house. Relieved, Naminé made her way to back to her room for some much needed sleep. Before she reached her room, Roxas stopped her.

"You're coming with us," he said, and with Kairi working alongside him, Naminé was once again donning her swim suit and standing on the shore of the lake, life jacket in one hand and canoe paddle in the other.

She whimpered. Her arms were feeling better today, but she didn't want to test them.

Luckily, Sora, Riku, and Kairi were competitive people. They quickly claimed the kayaks and organized a race to the nearby spring that sourced the lake. Roxas, on the other hand, took his time getting everything together. He gently pushed the canoe into the water and offered his hand.

"You coming?" he asked.

"I'd rather sleep."

"Come on. I didn't get to see any of this stuff yesterday. Just come with me. I'd rather you come along than go by myself."

Naminé averted her gaze. She hated how hard it was to say no to his face. "Why should I? You didn't stay in bed when I asked you to."

Roxas laughed. "The shit I put up with for the girl I like… unbelievable." He walked over to her, lifted her off the ground despite her protests, and carried her to the canoe. He carefully placed her near the front seat. "A year ago, comments like that would piss me off," he said. Naminé was very aware that his hands were still on her waist. "Then again, I don't think that'd be something you'd tell me either."

"Uh-uh." Naminé shook her head. For once, she got a long look at his face in the sunlight. Seeing him so close from a new perspective—she always had to look up a little when he was this close, but now she stood over him—made her knees feel weak. Or maybe that was just fatigue. He couldn't possibly have been so handsome the entire time they had been together. And she would have noticed any changes since she talked with him all year, right?

Maybe it was his eyes. They were more relaxed now. They weren't pixelated or hidden by the dark or painted by surprise or shock anymore. He was looking at her like he had finally accepted that she was very real and very much in front of him, and for some reason it made her heart race to know that he was looking at her and taking her in.

"I'll paddle. I know your arms are sore, so you just sit tight until we get there." He removed his hands. Not even the sunlight was as warm as his skin.

"Okay." She sat down, finding it harder to formulate words.

"Oh, Nami?"

She felt his fingers gently tilt her head up, and then she felt his lips on her cheek.

"Wake up a little, will you?"

* * *

><p>He had asked her, she remembered, to save her first kiss for him. That happened the last time they saw each other, and that was also the last and only time he kissed her, which was also on her cheek but very close to her lips.<p>

Only now did it occur to Naminé that he could have kissed her earlier or she could have kissed him this entire time.

She watched him swim in the cold spring water with Kairi, Sora, and Riku. True to his word, he had paddled the entire way to the spring, even upstream, to meet with everyone. How he was comfortable swimming in that freezing water was something Naminé didn't care to find out for herself, so she stuck with watching.

She had to admit that whatever sports Roxas had picked up made him look… sturdier than he had looked in the past. He wasn't as muscular or defined as someone like Riku, but he was lean. His body had apparently found the happy medium between being muscular and being skinny. He looked healthy.

And that looked good. His face was still a bit boyish, but maybe that had more to do with the fact that she had always seen his face growing up. She never cared to look at his body, nor did she really find herself wondering what he would feel like in years past. That was a more recent development.

Boys were so…square. Naminé eyed the broadness of Roxas's shoulders and the length of his arms and the firmness of his chest and abs. She wanted to touch it. As much as she admired looking at him from a distance, she couldn't deny the temptation to actually feel him up.

She kept these thoughts to herself when Kairi swam over, who dropped into a spot right next to her. Naminé flinched and complained when Kairi flicked her with cold water.

"How are you not freezing?" Naminé asked. The sun was high in the sky and the air was hot, but the small amount of water was enough to make Naminé shiver.

"I'm just going with the flow here. I'm running on an hour of actual sleep and I am feeling so awake and refreshed and hyper!"

Naminé had that feeling every time she pulled an all-nighter for school. She'd get through the day perfectly fine, at times feeling more energized than ever, only to crash an hour before dinner. Such a state would be a lot better than the tiredness Naminé was experiencing.

Kairi's arrival distracted Naminé just enough for Roxas to swim closer. She noticed his treading water right in front of her and immediately grabbed the dock.

"Don't you dare," she warned. Her legs hung off the edge of the dock. She cocked them back, ready to kick if she needed to.

"Relax. I just need one of the life vests. Toss me one?"

Naminé reluctantly reached into the canoe and threw him one, tightly gripping the dock planks with her other hand.

"You sure you don't want to swim?" Roxas asked as he swam closer to her.

"I'm perfectly fine here, thank you," Naminé said. She didn't notice Kairi standing behind her.

"Catch!" Kairi yelled before kicking Naminé into the water.

Cold. The water was _freezing_. Naminé swam right to the surface, screaming profanities at Kairi until Roxas wrapped his arms around her.

"Whoa! Calm down, Nami!" He laughed, keeping her still.

Even in the cold water, Naminé felt the warmth of his skin on her back. She was glad his life vest was unbuckled. "You planned this."

"You looked like you wanted to take a dip." Roxas laughed. "I can take you to the ladder there if you want."

"No," Naminé said, almost too eagerly. "If you don't want to deal with me, you should've left me alone."

"Fair enough. I'm okay with this."

Naminé looked at Kairi, who winked before diving back into the water. For the next fifteen minutes, Naminé relaxed in Roxas's arms as they floated around. She adjusted to the water in no time, and just like Kairi had told her, the water was extremely refreshing. It helped that her personal flotation device produced heat.

Roxas sighed, dipping his head back into the water. "This is nice."

"You mean the water or this set-up?" Naminé asked.

"Yes."

Naminé giggled. Under the surface of the water, she found Roxas's hand and laced her fingers with his.

* * *

><p>When lunch time rolled around, Naminé and Roxas followed the racing kayakers back home. After riding downstream, Naminé helped Roxas paddle back to their lake house. They took their time, eventually losing sight of the trio speeding ahead.<p>

"I just want to eat and take a nap," Naminé said as they coasted on the water.

"That sounds perfect."

They reached the dock and secured the canoe. Roxas offered to put everything else in the shed. Instead, Naminé declined and helped him.

The plan was to take the initiative and fulfill a promise. She didn't know if Roxas would react favorably to being kissed, but she was too nervous to care. The mere planning behind the kiss was enough to give Naminé an adrenaline rush.

She realized in that cold spring water that she had wanted to kiss Roxas for a very long time. She thought about it further and learned that, rather than doing anything to get forward in their relationship, she had always waited for him to move first. As confident as he acted, she was sure he was just as scared, if not more, as she was when it came to physical contact. It was like walking on a tightrope most of the time, largely due to the fact that they had never really discussed what they wanted on from the physical side of a relationship.

Heck, they never really discussed what their relationship even was. They had never made things official despite making themselves exclusive when they were separated. Naminé's best guess was that Roxas was her boyfriend, and if not that then he was the closest thing to a boyfriend she ever had.

He had to have known what she was planning. The air felt different. It wasn't tense or thick with tension, but Naminé thought her anticipation was just obvious enough to be tangible. Whatever the case, Roxas didn't act any differently.

"Here. I'll put that in the shed." Roxas held his hand out, taking Naminé's life vest. She followed him to the shed.

"Uh, Roxas?" Naminé waited just outside the door.

"What's up?"

"You know how you asked me to save my first kiss for you?"

Roxas closed the doors behind him and blushed. "I… try not to, but yeah. I do."

"Well…" Naminé felt her chest tighten. Nope. She was going through with this. Screw it. She was not about to mess this up. She walked up to Roxas and gently pushed him behind the shed where they wouldn't be seen. "Um, here."

She stood on her tiptoes, closed her eyes, wrapped her arms around his neck, and kissed him.

There were no fireworks or bursts of warmth or cheers from a crowd commemorating their kiss like a momentous occasion. There was only Roxas and the movement of his lips and his soft messy hair and his sun-kissed skin. Naminé's knees buckled as she continued to kiss him. Roxas effortlessly held her up, pulling her against his chest.

Despite the way Roxas's heart seemed to hammer in his chest, he kissed her so calmly and held her so delicately that she wondered if it was her own racing heart beneath her hand.

Naminé pulled away and sighed, breathing heavily. She regained her footing and leaned her forehead on his, trying to tame her breathing.

Roxas chuckled, loosening the hug he had unconsciously thrown around her. Naminé blushed, but managed to gather the most prominent words in her head and arrange them in a coherent sentence.

"Can we do that again?"

* * *

><p><strong>Redeeming Endeavor<strong>: So the characters were supposed to visit the city today (and revisit some old characters), but the chapter seemed really rushed. I pushed all that back and replaced it with something to help justify later interactions. I've been trying to be more conservative with my writing, but then I remembered that this is fanfiction and I can go big AND go home. So now you guys get a chapter with enough fluff to supply a Build-A-Bear Workshop. And I know I said this chapter would be around the 3.5-4.5k mark, but I don't think a little extra is harming anyone!

And dat kiss. That seemed like a good ending spot. Nam has got some smooth moves (but not really).

Special thanks to** Kyorii** for reading this over for me and making sure it's presentable, and also thanks to **asdfghjkl3** for chatting with me on an alarmingly inconsistent basis (kidding. But for serious, we have fun, right?). Also, huge thanks to **Demigod103, Lilaclia, GengaJupite, Eternal Abyss 59, Twenty-Twenty-One, CarelessWhispers13, CherryTree, Kigen Dawn, Harmonious Wolf, Xerzo LotCN, CascadeofRaindrops, Revenge of the Red Pen, InomaCallain, neverquitenough, It's My Lucky Charm, Go men123, Bookworm 11114, PinkParadise23, Ash09, GreyPurpleBlack, KurukiXV, Guest, CJ122, Kuroiikawa, Caramelized, Listless-Nobody, **and** Ventusblade** for your kind words! you guys are the best. Thanks for sticking around! I'm going to look back on this chapter years from now and have all these wonderful names to read if I'm ever asked about my biggest supporters :')

And thanks to anyone who added this story to their alerts or favorites. I'm hoping that this story will eventually surpass M&M in terms of favorites, but we'll see. There is, after all, an extra chapter since I pushed stuff back.

I had a favor to ask of you guys, but it's completely up to you to do it. Well, it's more like a challenge. If you can, would you go out and read other people's stories and review them? It can be Sokai, Namixas, anything. You guys are awesome, and I feel like if any other writer had you all for readers as well, they'd be really encouraged to write more and get better.

If you do get around to reviewing someone else's story and like it, let me know so I can check it out too (and I will also read what you wrote to the writer, which I'm sure will be nice since that's all I get from you lovely people)! There have to be some up and coming writers in the Namixas and Sokai departments, right? Point 'em out to me in a PM and we can chat about it.

No fun fact this week either since I'm not a very interesting person. No. I just feel like I've used a lot of room already. If you want something interesting, go find a new story that we can read together :D

Chapter Data: Total Editing Time- 1506 minutes. Word Count: 6100.

I'm counting on you guys to go out and review other stories. This place can't possibly be dead. I won't hold the next chapter hostage (as tempting as it is), but I have faith in you all. I BELIEVE IN YOU.

That's all. 'Til next week, my friends! Take care, and I'll see you around.


	28. Refraction

**Redeeming Endeavor:** I couldn't resist. And if I apologized, I'd be lying because I'm not sorry. Most of you knew it was an April Fool's joke anyway, and for that I pat you on the back. As for the rest of you…

In what universe do you live? I thought I made it clear in the past, but apparently not. So here's a reminder: I won't leave before writing a story to completion. Period. End of story. I may be the worst person in the world with the worst sense of humor, but I'm not going to abandon a story before it's done.

I've know some of you for a LONG time, and I simply couldn't believe that I had never pranked you before. Here's the real penultimate chapter now. Enjoy.

Just letting you know that if you reviewed the april fool's joke yesterday, you won't be able to submit a signed review this chapter. I think. Probably.

* * *

><p><span>Chapter 28: Refraction<span>

Roxas looked into Naminé's eyes.

"Are you sure you're okay with this?" he asked.

She nodded, looking away. "I would have tried to stop you if I wasn't," she answered.

"You didn't say you were okay with it. All you said was 'do whatever you want,' which is pretty much means the exact opposite."

"Are you calling me a liar, Roxas?"

"Are you saying I'm wrong?"

She met his gaze again. "Think whatever you want."

Roxas ignored the urge to gouge his own eyes out. How the hell did he fall for this girl in the first place?

"I'm starting to remember why I couldn't stand you in the past," he mumbled.

"You seem pretty eager to get away from me _now_."

Roxas threw his arms up in defeat. "Oh, here we go…"

"Got what you wanted last night and now you're moving on…" Naminé tapped her chin with a perfectly manicured nail.

"Kill me."

Roxas sped up, stomping his way back to their parents walking in front of them. Naminé giggled, pulling him back by the hand.

"Hey, this is just payback," Naminé said, sliding her hand into his.

He laced their fingers together. "Payback for what?"

She shrugged. "I dunno, really. Anything you might do that'll annoy me in the future."

Roxas breathed in slowly. He wasn't angry. Nope. Not angry at all. Hell, he was walking through Twilight City with a beautiful girl next to him. That was a good thing, even if she was purposely annoying him. At least she knew him well enough to know what worked. That was something he could brag about, right?

"Why are you doing this to me?"

"I like watching you squirm," Naminé answered. "Or maybe I'm being a jealous girlfriend."

When they left the lake house that morning, Roxas had told Naminé that he planned on meeting Axel after sightseeing with the family. He and Axel had planned the meeting as soon as Roxas found out about his family's spring break plans, and said meeting was supposed to have happened yesterday. A change in the itinerary had derailed the meeting, but upon arriving in the city—and subsequently getting a cell phone signal back—Roxas had convinced his angry best friend to attempt a meeting again. Axel, thankfully, had agreed.

Roxas's parents had known about his plans before they even left Destiny Islands, so they didn't mind when Roxas reminded them that he was supposed to meet Axel. Unfortunately, Roxas had forgotten to tell Naminé about his plans. She had seemed fine with the idea before when he had told her in the morning when Kairi woke him up to switch back, but now that he thought about it, Naminé probably hadn't spared a thought to it.

He had noted, then, that Naminé didn't retain information very well when she was asleep.

"If it bothers you—if it seriously bothers you, I'll cancel our plans," Roxas said.

Naminé rolled her eyes. "Roxas, I already said you could go. You don't even need my permission."

"Yeah, but you're getting angry about it!"

"I'm not happy about it, but I'm not angry. Just when we… start something, you're running off meeting with other friends," Naminé said. "And I get it, Roxas, I do. You haven't seen Axel in a while. That doesn't mean I have to be happy about it when I'm not."

"That's not what I'm asking."

"That's exactly what you're asking. You want me to say that I'm perfectly fine with you leaving me, but I'm not. I'm not going to lie about it either."

Roxas sighed. "So are we going to fight about it? That didn't take long."

"We will if you want to," she said curtly. "I get where you're coming from, you know. The least you could do is look at it from my perspective too. We've got a few days left before we can see each other again. Do you get that?"

"Of course I do."

"Roxas, I get you for a few more days, then we'll be separated for months." Naminé stared at him. "Hey, Roxas, is it clicking yet? Do you have to wonder why I'm not on board with you leaving right now?"

Roxas hung his head. "You could always come with me."

"You don't really want that," Naminé said. "You can't be in two places at once, and I know you said you've been planning this since before the vacation, so go."

Roxas felt like he needed to apologize, but he'd be lying if he said he didn't want to meet with Axel at that moment. He glanced at the group in front of him and pulled Naminé into a quick hug. "I'll make it up to you. I promise," he said.

Naminé's lips were pressed into a thin line as if she were fighting back a smile. "I'll see you when you get back."

Roxas jogged ahead to let his parents know that he was leaving before peeling away for the subway. He remembered that Axel had texted him earlier, so he took out his phone and reread the information as he jogged down the stairs.

The train was pulling in just as he reached the platform. Roxas stepped inside. The car smelled like it had just been cleaned with cheap disinfectant. Roxas took a seat near the door, wondering if it was actually clean or if the scent was masking something. He only needed to get to the next stop anyway. After a few seconds, the doors closed and the car began to move.

The last time Roxas had seen Axel was last summer, though he had kept in touch and spoke with him about once a month. This was the first time since separating that they managed to organize a meet-up. Roxas tapped his heel on the steel floor, his eyes darting from maps to advertisements to graffiti on the ceiling. It wasn't a long ride, but his eagerness seemed to slow down time.

Finally, the car stopped. Roxas was the first one out of the car and weaved his way back up to street level. He spotted Axel across the street. Crossing with a crowd, Roxas caught Axel's attention and greeted him with a high five.

"How have you been?" Roxas asked excitedly.

"Fine when it didn't involve waiting for you," Axel said. "I've been waiting here for over a day."

Roxas rolled his eyes. "I apologized for that, didn't I?"

"You're lucky I love you enough to make the drive here _again_." Axel nodded for Roxas to follow. "Come on. There's someone I think you should meet."

Axel walked to the end of the block and held the door open to a local coffee shop.

"New friend of yours?" Roxas asked.

"An old one, actually." Axel pointed to the corner. At a small table near the window, Roxas noticed a girl who was cooling her cup of coffee, her cheeks swollen with air. Her short black hair framed her round face, and her blue eyes moved to search the room. They landed on him and she smiled.

"Holy shit," Roxas said under his breath. He rushed over. She had just managed to stand before he tackled her with an embrace. "Xion!"

Xion laughed and returned his hug. "Surprise!" she said. She held him at arm's distance and looked him up and down. "It's good to see you."

"Seriously? So formal! When was the last time we spoke? How've you been? What're you doing here?" Roxas sputtered.

Xion sat down. "Don't you want to wait for Axel to get here?"

Roxas looked toward the counter where Axel was waiting for an order. "Oh, right." He sat across from Xion.

Axel arrived with two cups a moment later. He slid one over to Roxas and sat next to Xion. "So how's that for a surprise?"

"How long have you two been planning this?" Roxas asked.

"A while."

Roxas didn't know how to feel about the revelation. He was glad that Xion finally showed herself, but she went to Axel instead of him. He wasn't jealous—at least he didn't think he was—but Xion could have said something. She could have at least called or emailed to let him know that a reunion was in their near future.

Roxas brushed these thoughts aside. Now wasn't the time to question Xion's motivations. His best friends were right in front of him. That was what mattered.

* * *

><p>Naminé didn't fully appreciate the vastness of Twilight City until she walked through the seemingly endless blocks of buildings and vendors and posters. Not only was it a worldwide tourist destination, but it was also the epicenter of the entertainment business, home of the biggest television networks and famous late-night talk show studios.<p>

Naminé navigated the concrete jungle with her family and friends, but there was an air of loneliness that hovered over her. Roxas's absence, it seemed, was enough to sour her mood. She refused to accept that she couldn't have fun without him though. She didn't need him there. When she noticed that she had started lagging behind, she slapped her cheeks and jogged to catch up. She had Kairi and Sora and Riku here. And though Sora and Kairi flawlessly kept Riku included in their self-guided tour, Naminé thought he'd be the best choice as travel buddy.

After taking a group picture, Naminé caught Riku's attention and stole him away from Sora and Kairi. "I feel like I've been left behind," she said to Riku as she looped her arm with his. They probably looked like a couple, but she didn't care.

"You've literally been left behind," Riku repeated. "You mad?"

"I understand why he'd go," Naminé said, "but I am a little miffed."

"Would you let a boy hold you back from meeting your bestest friend in the world though?"

Naminé laughed. "I think you're overestimating the amount of friends I have. Kairi's probably my closest friend, as sad as that sounds."

"Or Roxas. But would you, say, let Roxas hold you back from meeting up with Kairi if you haven't seen him in a while?" Riku asked.

Naminé smirked. It was a funny thought, one that made little sense if she thought more about the set-up than the message Riku was trying to convey. "If I went a few months without seeing Kairi, I wouldn't let Roxas hold me back."

Riku shrugged. "I'm sure he'll make it up to you. If you want to get him back though, just tell him that today turned into a date with me."

With Riku at her side, Naminé saw a day's worth of what Twilight City had to offer, from Enix Square, the heart and center of the sleepless city, to Atlantica Avenue. Atlantica Avenue was Naminé's favorite part: big screens and flashing marquees showed praises for an award-winning musical about Shakespeare's _Hamlet_, but with lions of the Serengeti, because lions and Shakespeare, as everyone found out, made for a great family experience.

On occasion, Naminé would turn to her side, ready to refer to an old conversation she had or an inside joke with Roxas, only to find Riku there instead. Naminé would bite her lip in disappointment, but then she'd put on a smile and involve herself with whatever Riku and Kairi and Sora were talking about. She'd bank her thoughts in the back of her, ready to share them with Roxas when he'd get back. It'd be just like the school year: she'd load up events and memories of the day and spill them all in her evening conversations with him.

Naminé eventually began to worry about Roxas, especially since he never called or messaged her that he was with Axel. He seemed to know where he was going—how exactly, Naminé didn't know, since the city seemed to be built like a modern-day labyrinth—but he could have at least contacted her to announce that he wasn't mugged, kidnapped, killed, or all of the above. She sent him a message, hoping to learn that he was safe and secretly hoping to talk to him.

Half an hour passed. He never replied.

* * *

><p>After spending some time in the coffee shop, Roxas followed Xion and Axel around the city. Exploring gave them something else to do while Roxas updated Xion with the daily happenings in his life. Naturally, Naminé was pretty much all he talked about. Since Xion didn't seem to react negatively over hearing about his video chats, he told them the entire truth: that he and Naminé became official in the past week.<p>

He gauged their reactions as best he could, stacking detail upon detail as if he were building a house of cards. He'd pause and watch with every revelation. He slept in the same bed as her. He kissed her. He spent the entire previous day with her. He separated from her today to see them.

"Wait, are you crazy? Why did you ditch her?" Axel asked. They stopped at a park bench, the only one left along the pathway.

"I came to see you because you said you wanted to meet," Roxas said defensively.

"No, I simply agreed to meet." Axel shook his head and turned to Xion, who was sitting on Roxas's other side. "Can you believe this guy? He ditches his girl and blames it on me."

Xion snorted. "You've been enabling him for years. Who drives two hours from their town a second time even after being stood up the day before?"

"I just want to make it clear," Roxas interjected, "that I met up with you today because I couldn't yesterday. How's it my fault that my parents changed their plans?"

Axel crossed his arms. "Well, based on your description of yesterday, it was pretty easy for you to forget about me."

"I feel like I'm watching an ex-lovers quarrel or something." Xion giggled. The conversation died down until they realized they were sitting downwind from a few smokers. Forced to relocate, they started walking around the park until they could figure out where to go.

"You get laid last night?" Axel asked.

Roxas backed away from Axel as if he had spontaneously combusted. "What kind of question is that?"

"You haven't stopped smiling since you got here."

"Yeah, that has nothing to do with the fact that I'm hanging out with my best friends for the first time in forever."

"Roxas, we're fun and all, but we're not _that _fun," Xion said. "You can tell us."

"I really didn't."

Axel rolled his eyes. "Well something obviously happened. You said you slept in the same bed as her, and then you got all creepy for a second, then you kept on talking."

Roxas wanted Axel to elaborate on what he meant about getting "all creepy," but decided he didn't want to know.

Xion elbowed his side. "Come on. We all know you want to brag about it."

Roxas pinched the bridge of his nose. He knew he could talk about Naminé for hours, but even if his friends wanted to hear more about her, he thought it'd be better to restrain himself. But he did want to talk about her. Recently, she was all he could think about. He breathed in slowly. Screw it. "Naminé and I made out for hours last night."

Axel laughed. "There it is."

Xion shook him by the shoulders. "Look at you! All smug and shit," she teased.

"Am not!" He knew he was blushing, but he knew there were worse things than his friends teasing him about making out with his girlfriend and creating their own stories about how bad and terribly incompetent he'd be as a partner.

He shifted the subject when he got the chance, explaining how his nightly routine was determined for him by Kairi so she could spend the night with Sora. His deflection, however, fell on deaf ears.

"You touched her butt," Axel declared.

Roxas pressed his fingers to his forehead. "Did you hear anything I just said?"

* * *

><p>The time passed quickly for Roxas, and before he knew it, he was spending the last hour he had with Axel and Xion waiting at Traverse Station, which was bustling with commuters and tourists alike. The station served as the main stop for most of the trains in the city.<p>

They found a small round table just outside the entrance of a café. It was Xion's turn to update everyone on her life. Roxas had been waiting for her to talk all day: he still didn't know where Xion was living, what she was doing with her time, or why she chose to meet up with him and Axel when she did.

He learned that Xion had been with Axel for over a week, which meant that Axel had kept her arrival a secret. Roxas had told Axel about meeting up when Xion was at his place, apparently for spring break. Roxas sighed. Surprises were nice, but he didn't understand why Axel and Xion hadn't just told him that they were both going to meet him. Roxas also pushed down the jealousy bubbling from the back of his mind. Axel was her friend too, so Roxas he had no reason to be offended that Xion chose to call and stay with Axel first. Still, a week was a long time.

"When's spring break over for you anyway?" Roxas asked.

"Three days ago," Xion said cheekily. "Yes, I skipped school and rescheduled my life to see you. Pretty awesome, I know."

Roxas rolled his eyes. "What a martyr."

Xion was pretty open with her life, but Roxas noticed that she carefully skirted around details regarding her permanent location. Based on the conversation, Roxas figured Axel didn't know either. Roxas wanted to ask his older friend about it, but chose not to. If Xion called and asked to stay for a week for spring break, Roxas knew he'd probably agree to it with no questions asked.

Xion, as it turned on, had just continued living life normally. She told them that adjusting to a new school was easier than she had imagined, which Roxas was grateful to hear. She also told them that she had started talking to a doctor. When the time would come, they'd find a way to manage the symptoms. Until then, Xion said, her bitchiness was the result of her actually being a bitch, rather than the change of personality and increased irritability that would likely come.

The conversation died down, and the three of them spent a few minutes people-watching and making up stories for the more interesting people that walked by. Roxas looked at the large clock face that hung above the staircase that led down to the platforms.

"I'm going to have to head out in a bit," Roxas mumbled.

"Ah, it's already that time. You said you're meeting your family at that fancy restaurant—Mushu's, right?" Axel asked.

"You both are welcome to join us. I don't think anyone would mind."

Xion shook her head. "We have to head back to his place soon too. He has to work, and I've got some packing to do."

Axel stood up. "I'll get your ticket," he said. "Wait here."

When they were left alone, Roxas noticed Xion staring at him with a hint of a smile. He shuffled under her gaze. "What?" he asked finally.

"Can I ask you something about Naminé?" Xion asked, and he nodded. "Did you tell her I was here?"

Roxas shook his head. He then remembered that he had completely forgotten to tell her and his family that he even found Axel. He took out his phone and cursed. There were a few missed calls from his parents, but he felt worse for not responding to Naminé's message asking if he was okay.

He sent her a text. "Should I tell her now?" he asked Xion. "She sent me a message earlier asking if I found Axel, so do I just include that I met up with you too?"

Xion laughed. "Why are you asking me?"

"I'll tell her when I see her," Roxas said. "You're okay with hearing about her, right? I mean… sorry, just—"

"We can't be best friends if you're afraid to ask questions, Roxas."

"Fair enough," Roxas said.

"You're different now," Xion said. "I mean, I saw how you changed last summer, but now you're… easier, I guess. You're happy with her, right?"

"With Naminé? Yeah." Roxas smiled. "It's kind of silly. I'm ridiculously happy just being around her. It's the same when I'm with Axel and you."

"Except Naminé's the only one you want to have sex with," Xion teased. "You're in love with her."

She said it so easily that it caught him off-guard. But she wasn't wrong, he realized. She just knew the truth. "Yeah, I think I am."

"Don't you think you should tell her?"

"I think I'll wait." Roxas looked at Xion. He tried to find signs that might tell him if she was actually being honest with her feelings, but he couldn't glean anything. He was, as he discovered, quite terrible at reading her when she wanted to hide something. He continued, "I still don't understand how I fell for her."

"Dat ass, obviously," Xion joked. "Which, let's be real, isn't even that great. It's pretty average. She's too skinny."

"It is quite literally a handful," Roxas admitted. Xion smirked and he added, "Don't you dare tell Axel he was right."

"Axel? Maybe I'll tell Naminé how you've been talking about her today."

"Don't even. If I said anything that could be spun as sappy, I wouldn't hear the end of it from either of you."

Xion laughed loudly. A genuine, unmistakably Xion laugh. "Ah, dang. I missed you, Rox."

Roxas's smile flattened into a line. He thought back to what Xion said about being best friends, so he asked the question that had been waiting to be asked. "Why didn't we talk for almost a year then?" He didn't mean for it to sound so accusatory.

Xion crossed her legs and leaned her weight on the table. Her eyes focused a spot on the floor. "I needed space, and it clearly helped. You know why."

"We couldn't have talked at all?"

Xion shook her head. "Meeting you over spring break wasn't even part of my plan. But when Axel told me that you were going to meet him this week, how could I not, right?"

Roxas remained silent. He couldn't understand how Xion had felt, and he didn't know what it had been like for her to harbor and hide her feelings for so long. Hearing her say that she hadn't planned on meeting him, however, felt like rejection. It must have been worse for her. If Xion hadn't planned on seeing him, were they ever going to meet again at all? He didn't want to know. He was afraid to hear her answer.

"It doesn't bother me much, hearing you talk about her. I don't know why, but I think I'm relieved to see how much you've changed, and it's funny hearing you gush about someone who has you wrapped around her finger."

It was an obvious attempt at changing the direction of the conversation. Roxas ran with it. "I don't think I'd call myself whipped if I enjoy doing things for her."

Xion snorted. "Said every whipped guy ever." She sat back, stretching her arms above her head before smoothing out her hair.

"Hey," Roxas said, "what happens now?"

Xion quirked a brow. "What do you mean?"

"Are we just going to part ways, never to hear from each other again?"

Xion nodded. She asked for his phone, dialed a number, and picked up her phone. She handed Roxas's back. "Is this good enough for you?" she asked, her phone raised to her ear.

"Do you have to be so dramatic about it?"

"Now you know for sure that this is my number. I could have given you any number. I'm just proving that it's real.

Roxas shrugged. She made a good point. And even if he didn't know exactly where she was going, he'd at least be able to talk to her whenever he felt like it.

Axel returned with Roxas's ticket and handed it to him. "Well, we've got maybe ten minutes left. You ready to go?"

"Try not to seem so eager to make me leave," Roxas said with a smile.

"I've fulfilled my 'hang out with under-aged friends' quota for the day." Axel shrugged. "Let's do this again sometime."

With the last few minutes they had, Roxas followed his friends around the station, taking selfies and squeezing into portrait-oriented frames. He picked one of the photos and set it on his phone, replacing an older picture of them when they all lived on Destiny Islands. Xion and Axel followed him down to the turnstiles. Roxas bumped Axel's fist and pulled Xion into a tight hug.

"'Til next time," Axel said.

Roxas inserted his pass and walked through the turnstile. "Maybe this upcoming summer?"

"Maybe," Xion said. "I'll be in touch."

Roxas grinned. "I'll see you later then."

He waved to them one last time before he turned the corner.

* * *

><p>Naminé walked faster than anyone in her group after receiving a text from Roxas saying that he had been waiting for them for a while. She sighed when she saw him standing outside the restaurant doors, his phone in one hand and a pager in the other. He looked up as she approached and smiled.<p>

"Hi there," he greeted. He turned to his parents and handed them the pager.

Naminé waited off to the side while Roxas talked to his parents. Sora, Kairi, and Riku huddled around one of their phones, presumably playing a game. Naminé laughed as Kairi and Riku groaned and blamed Sora for screwing something up. She was about to go over and check, but something brushed her hand. She turned to find Roxas standing beside her, his fingers tugging at hers. He nodded toward a lamppost farther down the sidewalk. She nodded, taking his hand and following him there.

"Was your meeting everything you imagined it to be?" Naminé asked. "I bet you guys had a slo-mo run and reunion hug and everything."

"Well I'm glad I don't have to explain any of that. Apparently you saw the whole thing," Roxas joked. "Sorry for not talking to you earlier. I—"

"Take me out on a date and we'll call it even," Naminé said. She had been thinking of ways to spend time with Roxas throughout the entire day, and a date seemed like the best way to do that.

"Seriously?"

Naminé nodded. "I wish I could've kept you all to myself today—and you don't know how many times you should've been here—so a date is how you'll make up for leaving."

Roxas smiled. "I kind of like you as my girlfriend."

Hearing him actually call her his girlfriend made her blush. She'd get used to it one day, she thought, but until then she couldn't help but swell with happiness. "What? Only kind of?"

"Yeah. Normally you're exhausting, but I think I can handle a date."

"How do you know? You've never been on one. Not officially anyway," Naminé said. "Unless you've got something to tell me."

Roxas exhaled slowly. "I've been meaning to tell you that there was someone before you. My ex—we dated for more than three years, five months, and eight days."

Naminé rolled her eyes. "I hope you're over her."

Roxas shrugged. "Eh, I've been over her. She was a bitch anyway."

She gaped. "Wow. You went there."

"Too far?"

"Yeah, so now you owe me two dates."

"Is that supposed to a punishment?"

"Please stop. I'm starving right now, but if I watch you two any longer I think I might actually throw up," Kairi interrupted.

Roxas crossed his arms. "The whole reason we came over here was so that you didn't have to see or hear us."

"Don't flatter yourself. I didn't have a choice. We're being seated right now, so I was told to get you." Kairi walked off without checking to see if they followed.

"She's raging pretty hard right now," Roxas said after a moment of passing silence.

"She's tired and hungry. Just ignore her."

Naminé tightened her grip on Roxas's hand as they walked back to the restaurant. It had been so easy to get lost in conversation with him that she was almost glad that he wasn't around when she toured the city: he would have been quite the distraction, and she probably would have missed some sights.

She watched Roxas from the corner of her eye. Seeing his face somehow made her smile. Even if she missed him earlier, he was here now. Any desire to argue or fight over the fact that he left disappeared the moment he pulled her aside and gave her his attention. It scared her that a simple act could erase all her insecurities, but at the same time she liked it.

He seemed happier than he had been in the morning too, and seeing him like that was infectious. She mentally congratulated herself for letting him go. She hadn't expected to have the day she did, but it turned out fine in the end.

If he was happy, then she was too.

"Hey, there's something I need to talk to you about after dinner," Roxas said. "It's not a big deal or anything, but I think you ought to know how my day went."

"Naminé nodded. "I guess I'll tell you about my day while we eat." It was a routine Naminé was familiar with—one that defined the video chats that kept them close when they were far apart.

Roxas grinned. "Just like old times."

* * *

><p>Back at the lake house, Roxas and Naminé sat in the backyard while they waited for their respective turns to shower. Roxas told Naminé everything about his meet-up with Axel, including the surprising reappearance of Xion. If Naminé was anything but happy for him, she didn't show it. He knew there was some tension between the two girls, but Naminé had either put it in the past or hid her true feelings. Either way, he wasn't going to press the issue. Naminé was being rather passive with him, which was the opposite of what he had expected given their conversation before he left.<p>

Naminé did, however, enjoy reminding Roxas that he "should have been there" for certain moments in her day. If guilt-tripping was her torture method of choice, he was going to sit there and take it. At least she wasn't mad at him and giving him the silent treatment.

They parted to take their showers and pretend to get ready to sleep in their respective rooms. When Roxas got out of the bathroom, he waited in his room, his eyes trained on the open window. He didn't know how long it would be before Kairi would climb through, but he began to grow impatient. He considered climbing out and heading over himself, but it almost seemed too obvious to him that he'd most likely see something he wasn't allowed to. Something like Naminé changing.

Roxas bit his lip. He wasn't completely opposed to finding himself in such a situation, but Naminé probably wouldn't forgive him if she found out.

He turned to Sora, who was playing a game on his cell phone. Sora lay on his back, his cell phone held above his face, and he rolled over and cursed when he messed something up. Roxas was tempted to ask Sora about the game, but there was a more concerning issue. Sora, who normally slept fully dressed, was wearing nothing but his boxers.

Roxas thought back to the first night they had at the lake house. Back then, Sora was fully dressed for bed. Last night, he went to bed without a shirt. Tonight, he apparently ditched both the shirt and a pair of shorts.

Roxas knew what Sora and Kairi were doing when no one was watching, so he probably shouldn't have been so surprised, but at the current rate, Sora was going to be heading to bed in his birthday suit by tomorrow night. Someone had to draw the line.

Kairi apparently chose that very moment to show up. Without warning, she lifted herself up through the window and softly landed on her feet. Sora tucked his phone under his pillow and greeted his girlfriend.

"Up and out, Romeo," Kairi ordered with a smile, waving her arms in a sweeping motion toward the window.

"Night, Roxas. See you in the morning," Sora said cheerfully. He laughed as Kairi pounced on him.

"Oh, but it's disgusting if Naminé and I so much as talk to each other," Roxas muttered as he climbed out of the room. He walked across the roof and pulled himself through the window, spilling onto the window nook without a touch of grace.

Naminé giggled from her side of the bed. "You okay?"

Roxas fought back a smile and tried to play off his embarrassment. "I did that on purpose."

He climbed into bed, moving until he was in the center of the bed. Naminé lay with her back to him, her body rising and falling with each breath. She seemed so far away.

King beds were humongous.

"Nami," Roxas whispered, "you should come closer."

Naminé turned around. In the dark, Roxas could still see the image of her bare shoulders and exposed collarbone. Her shirt rode up, showing him more skin and the waistband of her shorts. He gulped before wrapping his arm around her waist, and he pulled her closer until she was pressed against his body.

She was so warm, but he shivered when her breath tickled his neck. She wrapped an arm around his neck and moved her other arm into his shirt, her hand tracing lazy circles on his back.

"Stay here," Naminé mumbled into his shirt.

"I wasn't planning on going anywhere." Roxas rested is chin on her head. Her hair was still damp from her shower. He breathed in the scent of her shampoo and sighed. He tightened his arms around her and inhaled. He loved the feel of her smooth legs tangled with his and her soft body pressed tightly to his. He closed his eyes, content to keep her right where she belonged.

He relaxed his shoulders and sighed, thinking that he would be content if this moment lasted forever. Drowsiness evened out his breathing, and for the first time that day he realized how tired he was. Resting his cheek on her head, he listened to the steady rhythm of her breathing.

Then he fell asleep.

* * *

><p><strong>Redeeming Endeavor<strong>: I decided to chop this chapter in half so we'll get one more. Now it seems more filler-ish than anything, but I wanted to get some closure.

Next chapter's last. That way, if you ignore the joke upload, that'll be 30 even chapters and epilogue. Even numbers are delicious.

So Kyorii really did write that note yesterday. I can't say I've ever met up with her in real life, but we did have a recent google hangout with Jomatto just last week. That's where the magic happened. If you want to be angry at someone, be angry at me. I forced Kyorii to write it because I have a sick sense of humor.

It wasn't entirely false though. I'm going to just come out and say it, and since it's not a day for pranks, you can take this one seriously: I won't be writing another story after LPA.

I'd like to **thankEternal Abyss 59, Lupus7, Naivette, Demigod103, Burai Stelar, Gear001, Kuroiikawa, Lilaclia, Twenty-Twenty-One, Crush-Chan17, Kingofclubs8129, DuelRoxas16, Nnix Ame, PinkParadise23, applebear, Ventusblade, Xerzo LotCN, GengaJupite, chibixbabe, Kigen Dawn, It's My Lucky Charm, KurukiXV, Pink Star Art, Harmonious Wolf, evilestguyever, Listless-Nobody,Revenge of the Red Pen, Cascade of Raindrops, Vitality Astral, monkmonkeys, stupid-tai, Muledragon, a Guest, Pili1995, King of the Rams, Justice Tokidoki, xXbluerainsXx, ryan1jr, KingdomHeartsKeyBladeMaster, Bretardedness101, FromSoraXWithLove, Maxeyn, CherryTree, and NaturistElisaXII.** I loved hearing your thoughts from last chapter. And thanks to anyone who added this story to your favorites and alerts! Also, thanks to those of you who left a review in reaction to my prank. I got a good laugh out of it because, let's face it, I'm an ass. And really, the only thing that was damaged was my reputation. I can live with that.

Chapter Data: Total Editing Time- 1045 minutes. Word Count: 5833.

Take care, everyone. I'll see you next chapter.


	29. The Law of Proximal Attraction

**Redeeming Endeavor**: Endings never quite go the way you want them. But stories end, and here we are.

Enjoy.

* * *

><p><span>Chapter 29: The Law of Proximal Attraction<span>

When morning rolled around, Naminé decided that she could spend the rest of the day in bed. She had never been so comfortable in her life: her pillows seemed softer than ever, the mattress was perfectly firm under her weight, and Roxas's arm was wrapped around her waist, possessively keeping her back pinned against his chest. She snuggled into him. He pulled her even closer, burying his nose in her hair.

Naminé sighed in delight. It was absolute perfection.

"Roxas, you need to get back to your room. Now."

Well, almost perfection.

The alarm clock that woke her and Roxas up was Kairi. Naminé knew she could have slept for another hour or two, but Kairi returned in the morning like she always had to switch back with Roxas. Only this time, Roxas wasn't switching.

"Go away, Kairi," Roxas mumbled.

Naminé giggled and pretended to sleep. She placed her hand on Roxas's and intertwined their fingers.

"I don't have time for this shit. I'm not doing this for me, you know. I'm doing it for you." Kairi's footsteps traveled around the room and the bedroom door squeaked open. "If Mom finds you guys like that, I'm just going to tell her that you crawled into bed with Nam this morning. I'm not responsible for what happens after that," Kairi said.

"Kay," Roxas replied sleepily.

The room fell quiet again. Naminé cracked her eyes open, finding the room a lot brighter than she had anticipated. She guessed that Kairi left the window open. Content with where she was, Naminé buried her nose in her pillow and lay still.

Behind her, Roxas let out a low hum as he stretched. She was caught up in it, her body pressed against his flexing muscles until he relaxed again. She felt the vibrations as his groan turned into a hum behind her ear and shivered.

This was definitely a morning routine she could get behind.

"You cold?" Roxas asked gruffly. His voice was hoarse and lower than usual, weighed down by sleep and the lack of use.

"Mm-mm." Naminé shook her head as much as she could. Cold was the farthest thing from the truth. If anything, the room was running a bit too hot at the moment.

"You're shivering." He ran his hand down her arm, smoothing out her goose bumps.

Naminé remained silent. What could she say? That he should keep stretching because she liked the way his muscles seemed to wrap around her? She wasn't going to admit that she found such trivial actions arousing. It was too embarrassing and too early to have that conversation.

"We should just stay here the entire day," Roxas said, moving his other arm under her. "It can be one of our dates."

Naminé shifted so that most of her weight fell on his upper arm. "It doesn't count."

"What?"

"It doesn't count," she repeated. Life wasn't fair. Of course Roxas would sound sexy in the morning while her voice mangled her words into a weak impression of a dying horse.

"But this is fun." His breath tickled her ear, sending a tingle down her spine. "Your reactions are priceless."

Naminé furrowed her brow. She didn't want him to notice that. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"Of course you don't," Roxas said. He deepened his voice. "How about breakfast in bed?"

Naminé groaned. She hated herself for liking it.

"See? I can say anything right now, can't I?" He didn't want for an answer. "I bet my breath smells terrible," he whispered huskily.

Naminé brought her shoulders up and giggled. He was too close to her ear. "Roxas, stop! It tickles."

"Not dirty enough?" He inched closer so his lips brushed the skin behind her ear. "I'm gonna hold you down and talk about my feelings."

"Roxas!" She squirmed, but couldn't get away.

"I'm gonna _date you so hard._"

Naminé didn't intend to hurt Roxas, but she had no control over her actions thanks to Roxas's tickling. Her elbow connected with his ribs. He grunted. Naminé sprung free from his hold and crawled out of his reach, pouting. "Why do you have to ruin everything?"

"You're the one who left." Roxas buried his face in a pillow and groaned in pain. "That hurt."

"You shouldn't have tickled me."

"Come back."

Naminé shook her head. She threw the covers off and stretched. "I'm up now. Someone just couldn't let me stay in bed."

* * *

><p>Naminé later found out that her mother wasn't even in the lake house, which only made her angrier at Roxas for ruining what could have been a great opportunity to stay in bed and cuddle. Apparently both her mother and Roxas's left earlier to buy some groceries, leaving Roxas's father to supervise. Roxas's father was pretty laid-back. When Naminé had kicked Roxas out of her room, his father saw the entire thing. Rather than reprimanding the two teens, he simply shook his head and continued reading an old home decoration magazine. He probably didn't approve of their shenanigans, but if they had to have an adult in the house, Naminé was glad it was Roxas's father.<p>

Everyone knew that she and Roxas were officially together. Naminé did surprise her mother though; Naminé had failed to mention that she and Roxas had made amends—and then some—over summer break. Roxas's mother was ecstatic, and Naminé's mother approved after telling Naminé that she was being held to the same standard as Kairi, and as such should behave similarly.

So Naminé did just that and made out with her new boyfriend over their first night together. It probably would have happened again if they hadn't been so tired last night.

Since they woke up relatively late, Naminé and Roxas ate breakfast by themselves. And since they finished breakfast so late, Kairi and the boys had already run off to do spring break things. With nothing to do, Naminé turned to Roxas, who asked his father for permission to take one of the rental cars so he could take his girlfriend out on a date.

"Why can't you just play outside with your brother?" his father asked, looking up from his Sudoku puzzle.

"I prefer doing something more age appropriate," Roxas said.

"If this is some veiled way of saying you want to get lucky, then the answer is no."

"No, I mean we actually want to do something normal teenagers do. We'll probably go to the movie theater in town or something."

On the patio, Sora hopped on one leg with one hand held behind his back and a long stick held in the other. Riku chased after him with both arms behind his back and a stick of his own in his mouth. Kairi trailed after them, screaming something about how Sora was hopping on the wrong leg, and that it was in fact his left leg that had been sliced off in the last engagement.

Roxas's father returned to his puzzle. "The keys are hanging by the front door," he said.

Naminé smiled and ran upstairs to change; Roxas did the same. She put on her favorite white sun dress and checked her reflection. The back of her dress left some bikini tan lines exposed, but she was pale enough that it wouldn't be obvious unless someone was close. It was a string bikini tan line anyway. It was pretty much unnoticeable. Except it was. Naminé considered changing until she noticed Roxas standing at the doorway. She quickly noted the salmon-colored shorts he was wearing. He didn't usually wear clothes with a lot of color, much less pastel shades. Color was more of an accessory in his wardrobe.

He wore a white V-neck though, which was a more typical choice of his. He wore a lot of white and black.

"Well you look nice," he said while looking away.

"I was going to change."

Roxas quirked a brow. "I mean, I'm not going to say no—"

"I would've kicked you out, Roxas." Naminé passed him and walked downstairs. She slipped on her sandals. "New shorts?"

"Yup. This is my first time wearing them." He paused before adding, "I have to do all my clothes shopping by myself now. Xion used to pretty much do it for me. She pointed to things and I bought them."

Naminé nodded and followed him to the car. Roxas had always dressed well in the past. Now that she was dating him, it was easier to admit that back when they weren't friends at all, he wore a few outfits that she thought were sexy. The ensemble he wore to Club Spades was a real killer.

She frowned. That wasn't a night she liked to remember.

"You okay, Nami?"

Naminé got into the passenger's seat. "I'm fine," she said.

Roxas closed his door and put the key into the ignition. He didn't start the car. "Hey, can you be honest with me? Would you rather I not mention Xion to you?"

"What? Why would I want that?"

"You went quiet after I mentioned her. I know you two didn't get along towards the end…"

"Roxas, that had nothing to do with her. If anything, I was just thinking how she knew what looked good on you."

"Oh."

"I really don't mind if you talk about her. Really."

Roxas started the car. "Okay."

Naminé guessed he was still worried about the tension between her and his best friend. If she were being honest with herself, Naminé would have preferred that Roxas's best friend wasn't a girl, especially one who was pretty attractive and had feelings for him. Naminé had been relieved to hear that Xion wasn't returning to Destiny Islands and that she never told Roxas where she was living. Perhaps it was a small act of kindness: Xion surely understood the insecurity of seeing another girl who had feelings for the same guy, so it was always possible that withholding her location and limiting contact to text messages and phone calls was a way of waving the white flag.

Naminé smiled to herself. Before she ever developed feelings for Roxas, she would have thought that. The past summer—particularly her experience with Xion's attempts to get Roxas's attention—had made her a cynic.

But as cynical as she was, she trusted Roxas. He hadn't done anything to cast doubt on his feelings. If anything, he was overly cautious. Naminé figured that if she didn't put him at ease, it'd begin to get annoying. Besides, she felt more confident than ever before. It was probably petty of her, but she drew a great deal of pride in the fact that Roxas chose her over Xion.

"Roxas, where are we going?" Naminé asked when they got into town.

"I don't really know," Roxas said, "but I got the feeling that you didn't want to go out on the lake again, so I thought this was a better idea. Don't tell me that you'd rather be chopping each other's limbs off with sticks now."

"I'm fine, actually. I just want to know what the plan is."

"I don't really have a plan. I mean, the movie theater's right there"—Roxas pointed across the street as he pulled into a public parking lot—"so why don't we try that first?"

Naminé nodded. "You're off to a good start with this whole dating thing."

He chuckled. "Spontaneity worked well for me before. The first time I got free ice cream for a week, and the second time I got you to go to Disney with me. I might actually be good at this, so trust me a little, will you?"

* * *

><p>The movie theater was closed. The local art museum was also closed. So was the national lamp museum (what the hell was that doing in this small no-name town anyway?), the library, the you-have-to-try-it family-owned restaurant, the apple orchard just outside the other side of town, the karaoke bar, the actual bar, the public pool, and even the park.<p>

"Why is everything closed?" Roxas yelled. He leaned against the car door and hid his face in his arms.

"It's all right. My ideal date is running around town, getting my hopes up, only to find that everything's closed." Naminé ran her hand up and down his back. "You really know how to please a lady."

"Oh, rub it in, why don't you?" Roxas chuckled when Naminé applied more pressure to his back. There was a pause, just a second to think of what just transpired. Then the gravity of her action sank in, and his chuckle bubbled into something bigger until he was laughing so hard that he couldn't stand straight. He brushed her hand away. "That's not even funny."

"You're laughing though!" Naminé knew it was silly. She laughed too, and suddenly they were bent over, struggling to breathe through the pain in their cheeks. They were too tired to care about the hour and a half they spent driving around, going from one location to the next, too defeated to do anything but laugh at their misfortune.

"You know, it's moments like these," Roxas said as he tried to catch his breath, "moments like these where I just know—" He stopped himself.

"Know what?" Naminé stood up straight. She gasped when Roxas leaned in and kissed her softly on the lips. She exhaled, her breath following him as he pulled away.

"I'll tell you someday." He looked down where Naminé had grabbed his shirt and took her hand, brushing her palm and fingers with his thumbs. "Come on. We should get home."

On the way back to the lake house, Naminé held one of Roxas's hands as he drove, wondering if she'd ever get used to her newfound intimacy with him. It still surprised her when he touched her: he was careful, almost too gentle, like he was too afraid to act or he was avoiding escalation. And whether he intended it or not, he always left her wanting more. Naminé bit her lip. That wasn't quite it. She was satisfied—in her limited knowledge and experience, she thought Roxas was a great kisser, though her only metric for that was her own enjoyment.

Sometimes his actions were too short. Too fleeting. He approached the edge and turned back every time.

Naminé tapped Roxas's knuckles with her fingers. Maybe she had some power over him. She could probably encourage him to be more daring. Not in public or anything. The way he kissed her before they began their drive back was perfectly appropriate. But when they were alone, maybe he was waiting for a sign or permission. She crossed her legs. Seeing Roxas lose control of himself was both an exciting and intimidating prospect. What did that even entail? Naminé blushed at the thought.

The car that had been out earlier was parked in the driveway, so everyone was home. When Naminé opened the front door, Kairi and the boys yelled at her to remain at the door. All of them were standing on furniture.

"The floor is lava!" Sora explained before Naminé stepped on the tile.

"Are you serious?" Roxas deadpanned. "Of all the things you guys could be doing—"

"Here." Riku hopped over to the couch closest to the door. H gripped the nearby computer chair and gave it a hard push toward the door. They all watched it roll to the doormat. "Use that to get around. Touch the tile and you die."

"Well we don't want that to happen." Naminé shrugged, climbed onto the chair, and turned to Roxas. "How about a push toward the couch over there?"

"You too?"

"Don't be a party pooper," Kairi called from the loveseat.

"I don't wanna die," Naminé said to Roxas. He sighed, placed one hand on the chair and the other on her back, and pushed her toward the couch. She slid over and held on so she wouldn't bounce off. "Thank you."

"I'll be upstairs." Roxas stepped forward. He ignored the vocal protests and walked to the staircase.

"Roxas!" Naminé huffed. "He's mean."

"Why does he hate having fun?" Kairi asked Sora, who shrugged.

"I want someone to explain why the floor is lava." Naminé sat on the sofa properly—or as properly as she could. She bent her legs so her knees reached her chin and her feet remained off the floor.

"Kairi said a volcano erupted and we had three seconds to find higher ground," Riku explained nonchalantly. "And now we're here."

"That doesn't really explain anything."

"I wanted to play Monopoly." Sora pouted and sank into his chair.

"No one's saying we can't play," Kairi said. They started arguing over the logistics of how they could or couldn't play before the lava cooled.

"Where were you two for the past few hours?" Riku asked Naminé, leaving the couple to their bickering.

"We went to the town and tried to have a date. Keyword: tried," Naminé said.

"Trouble in paradise?"

Naminé shook her head. "No! Nothing's wrong. Everything was just closed."

Riku laughed. "The world apparently doesn't want you to go on a date." He looked at Sora and Kairi for a moment before turning back to her. "You and Roxas are welcome to come with us later to a nature walk. The parents are coming too, and we'll probably stick around for the sunset."

"That sounds like a good idea." Naminé tapped her chin. She wouldn't mind if their families were around, so it was to Roxas and how much he wanted privacy. She turned to the staircase. She'd need the rolling chair.

Unfortunately, it was in use. Sora climbed onto it, discussing whether or not the kitchen tile counted as lava with Riku and Kairi.

"Sora, see that where the wood and tile meet?" Riku pointed to the raised partition where the living room turned into the kitchen. "I guarantee the chair won't roll over that."

"What's with this 'can't do' attitude?" Sora scoffed. "I'll just get off before that. The tile isn't lava anyway."

"Don't say he didn't warn you," Kairi said.

Sora rolled his eyes and kicked off the couch, leaning in the direction he traveled. His weight carried him a few feet before he leaned too far. Sora's face met the wood floor with a loud smack. He groaned and sat up slowly. Blood ran out of his nose.

Kairi and Riku roared with laughter.

"Sora!" Naminé jumped from the soda to check on him. She called for her mother and told Sora to plug his nose while she grabbed paper towels. She glared at Kairi. "Will you get over here? Your boyfriend's bleeding!"

"I'm not hopping into the lava just because he's bleeding," Kairi said as if imaginary floor lava was a legitimate reason to remain where she was.

"Naminé, relax. It's just a bloody nose!" Sora grinned as he wiped his face.

"Pinch your nose, Sora." Naminé wiped the few drops on the floor and fought away the nausea that surfaced within her as the paper towel reddened. She shuddered. Yet another reminder why she'd never follow in her parents' footsteps.

The sliding glass door opened and Naminé's mother walked inside. She sighed. "I told all of you to stop jumping around and you didn't listen! It's like talking to a bunch of ten-year-olds." She pointed to a nearby kitchen stool. "Sit here, straight, and don't tilt your head back."

Sora smiled sheepishly and shuffled over for an inspection.

"And then there were two," Kairi muttered.

"Kairi, get over here."

"Yeah, Kairi. Get over there," Riku mocked.

"You too, Riku."

Riku bowed his head. "Damn it."

Naminé watched Riku and her sister drag their feet over to her mother, who lectured them like she did when they were much younger.

"I expect this lava floor stuff from Sora, but you two?"

"Hey, why's it only expected from me? I wanted to play monopoly!"

"I guess I was expecting too much when I thought you'd act like adults," Naminé's mother continued, rolling right over Sora's comments.

Naminé washed her hands and quietly made her way upstairs while the others were told to act their age. She walked past her room after finding it was empty.

"Roxas?" Naminé nudged the door to his room open. She heard the shuffle of bed sheets and spotted Roxas sitting up in his bed, a pillow covering most of his body. His clothes were in a messy pile at the foot of his bed.

Roxas relaxed and sank down, keeping the pillow in place. "You scared me. I thought I locked the door."

"Undie time?" She smirked and walked into the room, closing the door. She sat on the bed on the opposite side. She considered asking why she wasn't invited, but concluded that saying something so bold would lead to death by embarrassment.

"It's hot. Now seemed like as good a time as any." Roxas's eyes flicked toward her, then returned to a spot on the ceiling. "You sure you wanna sit there? That's Sora's bed. Kairi's too, I guess."

Naminé stood up as if the bed had burned her. She glared at him. "Why would you say that?"

"It looks fine, but you know it's covered in sweat and smells like sex."

Naminé scrunched her nose. Sex had a smell? What did it smell like? And why did it seem like Roxas knew the answers to those questions? What sick situation had he been in to be exposed to those experiences? She warily eyed Sora's bed. She didn't pick up any strange scents while she was sitting there—and she wasn't there long—and though she was somewhat curious as to what, if at all, that bed smelled like, she wasn't about to stuff her nose into the sheets and pillows of the bed where Kairi had spent the past three nights getting what was probably a collective six to seven hours of sleep.

Was it even possible to sleep comfortably on a twin bed? Naminé narrowed her eyes. She did think king beds were too big for cuddling, and she did learn that she liked waking up in Roxas's arms. Maybe they'd be able to sleep comfortably with so little space after all.

"You know you're allowed to sit on my bed, right?" Roxas tapped the spot next to him.

Naminé blinked. She didn't realize she had been standing the entire time. She absentmindedly sat on the edge of the bed, her lower back pressing against the pillow. She looked at him.

"What?" He asked. He almost sounded nervous.

Naminé swung her legs on the bed and lay back. Her shoulder lined up with Roxas's. She giggled and turned her head, tucking her hair away. "Hey, she said, "how do two people share a bed like this?"

"They don't," Roxas said with a wry smile. He turned on his side, propping his head up with one arm and draping the other over her waist. "Or, I imagine it's something like this."

She hadn't realized it when she had lain down, but with Roxas's arm around her, Naminé became more aware that she had hopped into bed with him while he was naked. Or almost naked. Her eyes trailed down his face, his neck, and his chest. Her gaze settled on the pillow, the thickest layer keeping them apart. It was obstructing her view, so she moved it out of the way.

"What are you doing?" Roxas asked, his voice sharp with panic.

"Nothing," Naminé said calmly. She mirrored Roxas's position and moved closer, tucking her arm under his and resting her palm against his bare back. Her dress kept her from feeling the rest of his skin, but it wasn't enough to keep the heat from reaching her. "You're actually hot."

"Because it's hot in here." As he spoke, Naminé felt the hand on her back slide lower.

"It's not so bad."

"We should get up." Roxas tried to sit up.

"Wait," Naminé said quickly. "I just want to…"

She pressed her hands to his chest, making him flinch. His muscles tensed under her touch, and his breathing stopped after a sharp inhale. Her hands traveled lower. She turned her wrists, her fingers continuing down along their intended path.

His boxers were pulled low on his hips thanks to all the twisting he had done earlier. She traced his tan line. He had always been fair-skinned, but living on Destiny Islands had darkened him enough to establish a boundary that wasn't often exposed. Naminé's heart raced. She slipped a finger into his waistband.

Then he was on top of her.

"That tickles," Roxas said, burying his face into the pillow she was lying on. He had removed her hands in the process, pinning them aside.

"Sorry," Naminé whispered. A quick heartbeat pulsed between them. She couldn't tell if it belonged to her. When he lifted himself up, placing most of his weight on his forearms, she discovered it was her heart beating rapidly.

She hadn't intended to rile him up. She just wanted to satisfy her curiosity, which might have involved taking Roxas's clothes off. She blushed. Truth be told, she was still curious. It was only one layer, one article of clothing. If she could just remove it, she'd be satisfied.

A silence passed in which neither of them moved. The air between them felt hot. Naminé slowly raised her hands and placed them on Roxas's sides. He inhaled sharply at her touch.

"The door's locked, right?" Roxas mumbled into the pillow.

"Yeah," Naminé said. Her breaths quickened in anticipation.

"And your mom and my parents aren't in the house?" He slid his left arm underneath her and faced her, his eyes full of intent.

A shiver ran down Naminé's spine. She wrapped her arms around his neck. "If they are, they're too busy yelling at your brother."

"You sure?" His breath tickled her lips.

She inched toward the middle of the bed. "No."

"Good enough."

He kissed her, gently, tentatively, then passionately. Naminé responded to him, her lips moving frantically against his. They made up for their lack of technique with enthusiasm, rushed by the knowledge that they could get caught and would have to stop at any moment.

She kissed him hard, energized by the desperation in his breaths and lips. Without parting, he pinned her chest against his and pulled back until they were sitting up. His other hand slowly moved up her thigh, tracing a warm path and dragging her dress up to her waist. Naminé lifted herself off the bed just enough to set the pinned part of her dress free. They fell back down.

Roxas pulled away, giving Naminé time to catch her breath. Her relief was short-lived, and a moan escaped her lips as Roxas kissed his way down her neck. Naminé ran her hands through his hair and arched her back, urging Roxas to continue. She lost herself to his touch, overwhelmed by a flurry of new sensations. Every part of her wanted more.

She raised her hips off the bed and ground against Roxas, earning a low groan that reverberated in his chest. Naminé shuddered as a wave of heat traveled throughout her body. She raised her hips again, hoping to get the same result. She did.

There were two layers in the way: one on her and the other on him. Her thumbs found the inside of his boxers. She gave them a light pull.

A knock at the door sent them flying apart.

"Open the door, Nam," Naminé's mother said from the other side.

Naminé straightened her dress as Roxas scrambled to clothe himself. "Hang on!" she said. She opened the door as soon as Roxas got his head through his shirt.

"What are you doing?" her mother asked, her frown proving that she already knew the answer.

"Nothing," Naminé said.

Her mother switched her attention to the other person in the room. "Roxas?"

"We were just lying down," he said. "Not together or anything. Just trying to catch a nap."

Naminé's mother nodded, clearly unconvinced. "Both of you should eat lunch. Downstairs."

"We'll be right down." Naminé began to close the door without thinking, but her mother held it open. She gave the two teens a stern look and walked away.

Naminé turned to Roxas, fighting back a smile. She looked at him carefully—messy hair, swollen lips, red face, and faster breaths made it extremely obvious that they weren't just "trying to catch a nap." If she looked anything like him, then her mother got even a clearer look.

"Damn." Roxas shook his head, but grinned. "That was the last thing I wanted to happen."

"Think she knew?" Naminé asked, swinging the door back and forth. The air felt nice on her sweaty skin.

"She definitely did." Roxas walked up to her and pinned her against the wall. He tilted her head up and leaned in, but instead kissed her on the cheek. "Maybe we don't need to hide anymore. Just go for it when you feel like it."

"Don't make me come back there!" Naminé's mother yelled from the bottom of the stairs.

* * *

><p>Throughout the rest of their day, Naminé and Roxas used every opportunity they had alone to continue where they left off.<p>

Unfortunately, they never found that opportunity. Following lunch, it seemed that they were under the supervision of at least one parent at all times.

"So she told us to act our age, but when we do we get in trouble," Naminé grumbled.

"You sound like your sister," Roxas said. "And I'm pretty sure that your mom didn't mean 'make out with your boyfriends' when she said that."

Naminé pouted. Why did her mother care so much about what she was doing anyway? To Naminé, kissing seemed harmless. They weren't harming anyone—if anything, they were having lots of fun out sight and out of mind in the privacy of their secluded bedroom. By the way all the parents reacted, one would expect the crime to be something bigger. The punishment did not fit the so-called crime in the slightest.

"You would've thought she caught us doing a line of coke up there," Naminé said as she tore up a blade of grass.

Roxas laughed. "Where did that come from?"

"Stress due to the fact that they're practically breathing down our necks." Naminé nodded in the direction of Roxas's mother. She watched Roxas react. He raised a brow and pursed his lips, which she found irritating. "Oh my gosh. You don't think it's that big a deal."

Roxas shook his head. "No, I just don't agree with your assessment that they're breathing down our necks. I mean, she's pretty far. I could touch your butt without her noticing."

"No." Naminé scooted away. "Keep your hands to yourself. You didn't agree with me, so you're not allowed."

Roxas laughed again. "I'm not allowed to have my own opinions?"

"You are, but that doesn't mean you won't face any consequences." Naminé shrieked when Roxas poked her side. "That tickles!"

"It's the consequence for saying something I disagree with."

Naminé eventually had to abandon her shaded spot under the tree. She ran away laughing, tripping over a tree root and her own feet as Roxas chased her. She didn't get very far before his arms wrapped her up from behind. Despite her protests and flailing, Roxas carried her back to the swinging bench where they had been sitting before.

Roxas tucked an arm behind her knees and hoisted her up. "You're so… small. I guess I didn't notice before, but really."

Naminé tried to frown, but the truth was that she actually liked how easily he moved her. "Maybe you're just big."

"That's really nice of you to say."

Naminé blushed. "That's definitely not what I was talking about." Sure, earlier she had felt something when things got heated, but she didn't get a look and relatively speaking, she had nothing to compare against—

"I just said that was a really nice thing to say. I don't know what you're talking about." Roxas set Naminé down on the bench and sat beside her. He threw his arm over his shoulders and leaned back.

Naminé leaned into him. His arm was heavy, but comfortable. She picked up his free hand and lined her fingers with his, comparing the size. She turned their hands. Her fingertips didn't even reach where his fingernails began.

Naminé opened her mouth to say something, but decided to put it off. She wanted to talk to Roxas about what they were doing before they were caught, but thought that having that conversation closer to night time would be better timed. She had a feeling it'd be pretty awkward too since both of them were pushing some boundaries they never discussed. There was no way of telling how far they were heading until they were forced to stop. As embarrassing as it was to admit, she had no intention to stop at the time, and if Roxas felt the same way, then it made that discussion even more important.

Naminé hoped that talking to Roxas later would help them decide what they could and couldn't do yet.

"Something wrong?" Roxas asked.

Naminé didn't expect him to catch on. She cleared her throat. "We have to talk about something before sleeping tonight," she said, hoping that she wasn't being too vague.

Roxas tensed. "If I did anything to pressure you, I am so sor—"

"What? No! I mean, we both got a little out of hand there, I think, but I didn't feel pressured or anything," Naminé said quickly. "We should just… I don't know, discuss what we can and can't do. I'm not saying I'm uncomfortable with anything, but we can't do something stupid." Naminé winced. If she was going to have this discussion properly, she knew she needed to be clear and blunt.

"Right. No sex without protection. Got it," Roxas said with a nod. "Um, just for the record, I'm fine with anything."

"What?"

"You said you weren't uncomfortable with anything today—except maybe the thought of where we were going—and I'm saying that I'm the same way. I'd definitely be okay with anything."

"Well I don't want you to be _okay_ with it. I want you to like it."

"I'm saying I'll like anything."

"That's such a cop out though. You wouldn't like it if all we did was hold hands."

"I would like holding hands with you, actually."

"Not if it meant kissing and hugging and everything else was off the table."

"If that's what you wanted, then I wouldn't complain. All that matters is that anything intimate happens with you."

Naminé sighed. "That doesn't help at all! You're not even answering the question."

"Yes I am! I already told you that I'd be comfortable doing anything you'd be comfortable doing." Roxas rolled his eyes. "What else do you need to know?"

"I want to know what you'd like," Naminé said, trying to level her voice. "To me, it sounds like you're saying what you'd settle with."

"Okay, if you want to call it settling, fine. To me, it's doing what you're comfortable with. I'm already ridiculously happy that I'm even allowed to touch you and that you're willing to get into bed with me when I'm only wearing underwear—"

Roxas stopped talking. Naminé remained completely still, her face warming considerably.

"It's really quiet," Roxas whispered after a few seconds.

"Yup." Naminé sank a little lower. For some reason, the wind had stopped blowing and the chimes stopped ringing and the birds stopped chirping and the bugs stopped doing their droning cacophony just as Roxas started speaking.

"I said that pretty loudly, didn't I?"

"Yup." Naminé turned her head and saw Roxas's father sitting where his mother had been. Sora, Kairi, and Riku were sitting with him, all of them surrounding a Monopoly board. They all started playing again like nothing had happened when Naminé made eye contact with them.

"That… shouldn't have happened." Roxas sat up straight.

"I think we should just pretend that never happened," Naminé said under her breath. She was too embarrassed to look back at everyone. She was going to sit under the tree for the rest of the day if it meant she could avoid her sister's questions and the look of disapproval from Roxas's father.

"We should talk about this later," Roxas said.

"That's a good idea."

* * *

><p>When the sun rolled down the sky in the late afternoon, Naminé got in the car with Sora, Riku, and Kairi to head over to the nature center that they had been planning to visit. She was grateful that all of them pretended that they didn't hear anything about what had gotten them in trouble in the first place. Roxas tagged along. When Naminé had asked him if he wanted to go, he had immediately agreed, saying that it'd give them more privacy than the lake house anyway. When she had told him that their parents were going as well, he recommended they simply run off on their own.<p>

With nothing to feel anxious over, Naminé smiled at the thought. She hoped it wouldn't be too hard to separate themselves from the group at the nature center. On the drive there, she lost herself in her daydreams, fantasizing about what it'd be like to drive away from everyone and everything with Roxas, bringing along only what they had packed.

The ride to the nature center lasted around half an hour. Since all the parents rode in one car and the teenagers rode in the other, Riku led everyone to the best start, both to distance themselves from their parents and to get the best vantage point. Naminé lagged behind her sister and friends with Roxas. A few places along the wooden boardwalk groaned under the weight of human footsteps.

Walking through the middle of a densely wooded area, Naminé observed her surroundings. Every now and then the boardwalk would taper off into a dirt path, and a small plaque or sign with pictures of the local flora and fauna detailed basic facts on the history and nature of their respective illustrations.  
>A few paths led over and under fallen trees. While Naminé and Roxas elected not to take those detours, Kairi and the boys walked through every available diversion before returning to the walkway. And though the sky turned darker and the distractions slowed them down, they all reached their destination in time.<p>

"We're going up this lookout," Riku pointed. He looked like he was about to explain something, but he bolted as soon as he saw Sora making a run for the staircase.

The lookout was an elevated platform more than three flights high. Naminé thought it looked like a glorified gazebo with high railings all around. Entirely constructed of wood, the platform oversaw the entire prairie in front of it. Roxas insisted that she follow her sister, so Naminé walked up the staircase that zigzagged up to the platform. At the top, they found Sora and Riku slightly out of breath and arguing about who arrived first. Naminé followed her sister to the railing and took a deep breath as she took in the sights.

A long, wide stretch of grasslands extended far out, and in the distance the sky fused into a line of trees that marked the boundary of the prairie. The sun hung just above the edge of the world, splashing an orange glow into the sky.

Naminé crossed her arms and leaned her weight on the railing. Her sister nudged her with her shoulder.

"It's nice, isn't it?" Kairi asked. "I mean, it happens every day, but it's nothing like the sunsets at home and the ones over the water. It's more… naturey."

Naminé laughed at her sister's conclusion. "I see what you mean, I think."

"Don't lie. I know that made no sense whatsoever," Kairi said. "Regardless, I'm just happy to finally be away from Mom. Can you believe how neurotic she's been?"

"I think she's just paranoid that we're just as bad as she was when she was our age."

Kairi shook her head. "I bet she was way worse, and now she's thinking that if she was capable of doing such scandalous things in her youth, why wouldn't her daughters be the same?"

Naminé bit her lip. "Well, we do have that whole sleeping situation thing…"

"True, but is that really as scandalous as, say, dating a much older man who used to be your professor?" Kairi asked, hinting at their parents' early relationship.

"She'd kill you I she heard you using it against her," Naminé said. She looked at Kairi. "Seriously though, who does that? Mom and Dad were gross."

They laughed, attracting the attention of the boys with them. Kairi brushed them off, saying that she and Naminé were having a private sisterly chat.

"I think I like these on Destiny Islands a little more than this," Kairi said as she stared at the sunset.

"An Island girl through and through," Naminé said. "Maybe we'll get to see more of them this summer."

"Sora said something so stupid and clichéd when we watched the sunset one time." Kairi smiled fondly at the memory. "What a cheeseball."

"Looks like you liked it. What'd he say?"

"Something about having a buddy to watch the sunsets with," Kairi said slowly. She continued after Naminé gave her an expectant look, "And finding something better to look at."

Naminé laughed. "Oh my gosh! You talked so much shit about me and Roxas, and you went and did something like that."

"I'm pretty sure we went official that day," Kairi said. "Ugh. And now every time I look at you and Roxas, I'm reminded of how stupid and corny and lovey-dovey it all was. Freaking honeymooners, man."

"Don't lie to yourself. You liked it," Naminé said. "And don't go acting like your some old lady who's disgusted with new relationships. You haven't even been officially dating for a year."

"Shut up." Kairi gave her sister a light shove before walking off. "I'm going to relive that moment now. Have fun watching the sunset with your lover."

"Try not to do anything corny this time," Naminé said after her. As soon as Kairi was gone, Roxas was in her place.

"Interesting chat," Roxas said as he stared at the sky.

"Were you eavesdropping, Roxas?"

"No way."

Naminé linked her arm with Roxas's. "You know, Kairi just told me that Sora said she was prettier than the sunset?"

"Will you be quiet? I'm trying to watch this here," Roxas said. He started laughing as Naminé rolled her eyes. After apologizing, he tilted her head up for a kiss, earning some heckles from their friends in the process.

In two short minutes, the sun disappeared behind the trees. As the sky grew darker, Naminé and Roxas followed the group back to the cars, where they all had to act like they had no idea their parents had fallen behind and had to pretend that they had been looking for their parents the whole time.

Naminé and Roxas walked to another section of the nature center that wasn't too far from the parking lot. A long boardwalk extended out to the prairie, far enough to be clear of any trees in all directions. At the end of the boardwalk, Naminé and Roxas went left when their parents went right. They quickly walked as far down as the path would allow and settled on a square platform. They took a seat on the only bench, which was placed in the middle of the platform.

A few clouds blocked the moon from casting too much light. Little by little, the stars began to appear. By the time the sky darkened completely, the sky was peppered with little specks thousands of light-years away. Naminé extended her hand in front of her and barely saw the outline. The sounds of chirping bugs coming from all directions only seemed louder in the cool night air. She moved closer to Roxas, smiling when she found his blue eyes staring back at her.

As they looked at the sky, Roxas pointed out the few constellations he knew. Naminé remembered that Roxas had mentioned stargazing with his best friends in the past, and she was amazed to find that Roxas could easily distinguish whatever he was looking for out of the starry sky. Sometimes she pretended to know which stars Roxas was pointing at: not only was she unable to see where he was pointing at times, but she also had no idea which stars he was pointing at. He could've been making all his constellations up, but she figured he wouldn't have sounded so enthusiastic over each find if it was all a lie.

After a while, Roxas fell silent, his head tilted toward the sky. Naminé was content to sit without speaking for a few minutes, but she needed a distraction from the bug sounds that seemed to be creeping closer and closer the longer they sat.

"What's on your mind?" she asked. She didn't expect him to look at her so calmly. He smiled widely, wrinkles forming at the corners of his eyes. His white teeth were easy to spot in the dark, and his blue eyes seemed to pierce right through her.

"I was just thinking how… perfect this is. I mean, sure, all these bugs are probably doing all sorts of mating calls, but this is pretty romantic, right?" He turned toward her, pulling his leg up so that one knee was pressed against the backrest of the bench.

"I'd say a night under the star is pretty romantic," she said.

"I don't know how it started really, all this thinking about a future with you included, but that's the way it is and I'm a little crazy about it right now. I just spent the past few minutes fantasizing about what it'd be like to do everything with you. I want to go on super long road trips with you, and even though I know we'll drive each other crazy, I know that a trip with you would be more fun than with anyone else. I want us to go to classes together and hang out at my place after so we can play video games and blow off homework assignments. I don't know. Anytime I think about the future now, you're involved. I think I'm in love with you."

Naminé inhaled, her breath catching in her throat.

"I know that's a little weird, and I probably don't even know if this is really love or not, but I know that I've definitely liked you for a long time and it's never been like this with anyone before. And that was actually a lot easier to say than I thought it would be. I love you." He made sure to look at her. "Sure, we fight a lot, so it probably doesn't seem like it's true, but I mean it. I wouldn't have it any other way. I love you, Naminé, and one day I'm going to take you out on a proper and actual date to prove it." He laughed, shrugging like he was all out of ideas.

Naminé had no idea what to say. She felt like she was still trying to catch up with this suddenly hyper Roxas.

"You don't have to say anything," he said.

Naminé tried to gather her thoughts into words. But between the butterflies in her stomach and the sudden loss of her voice, she couldn't say anything.

Roxas visibly deflated. He laughed nervously. "Actually, on second thought, please say something. You don't have to say you love me or anything, but a 'thank you' would suffice."

Even in the dark, Naminé could see how flustered Roxas was getting. She laughed before cupping his cheeks and kissing him softly on the lips. She felt him relax a little. "Better?" she asked.

He sighed, leaning his forehead on hers. "I guess."

Naminé pulled away and mirrored Roxas's position. She pulled her leg up and put her arm on the backrest, propping her head up with her hand. "That was… a lot to process. I think I was just waiting for you to do something mean again."

"What?"

Naminé looked down at her lap. "I mean, one time you disappeared for days after leading me on and not kissing me—"

"Oh… that."

"—and then this other time you ditched me the morning after making out for the first time to meet up and hang out with other people," Naminé finished, clicking her tongue.

Roxas nodded slowly. "Wow. That sounds pretty mean."

"Yeah. So don't get on my case for taking a few seconds to think about what you just said."

"Fair enough." Roxas cleared his throat. "I've been pretty selfish and I'm just now comprehending how forgiving you been."

Naminé smiled wryly. "And now you're gonna try to sweet talk me."

"I'm never going to win with you, am I?"

"Better get used to it!" Naminé quipped. "I already have. I've prepared myself for disappointment and future letdowns."

Roxas chuckled. "Damn. You're merciless."

"Whatever. You like it."

He shrugged. "It seems that anytime you're involved, I get off to a terrible start," he said. "Despite all that—everything, really, even as far back as when we were kids—you're sitting in front of me right now. As my girlfriend, too."

"I'm a sucker for abuse too," she concluded.

"Is that why you think you're here?"

"I'm certainly not here for your looks," she joked.

Naminé leaned forward for a kiss. She fell on top of Roxas as he eagerly obliged. He leaned back, making use of the extra bench space.

The fluttering in her stomach didn't stop. When she felt his shift underneath her, she pulled away. "Sorry, is that uncomfortable?"

"We're making out in public and you're on top of me. You think I'm going to tell you the truth?" Roxas asked with a wide grin.

Naminé sat up, ignoring Roxas's protests. She stared into the dark, hugging her knees to her chest. She took a few quiet breaths before speaking. "I always thought there was a process to this. Well, not a process, but maybe something like a timeline."

Roxas sat up quietly. "You're talking about relationships?" She nodded, so he continued, "Well you're not entirely wrong. We didn't exactly get along at first, and then we sort of did, then we actually did, and then we started dating—er, going out, I guess, since we've never actually gone on a real date as a couple."

Naminé nodded. "I know that there was progress, but I thought it'd be a little more concrete. I had it all worked out in my head: I'd meet someone, then we'd become friends, then best friends, then become a couple if it was the right guy."

"Isn't that what happened?"

"Yeah, but the relationship part is not what I thought it'd be at all. I thought it'd all happen in a neat order—the first kiss, falling in love, the dates, the other kisses, all of that stuff—but so far it's been a pretty wild ride."

"You can blame me for all that."

Naminé laughed. "And ever since last summer, I felt something different. And for every time it's made me feel really shitty when you weren't around or when the only time I could see you was over a video call, it's made me inexplicably happy to be alive."

A smile began to spread across Roxas's face. "That sounds familiar."

Naminé nodded, fighting back laughter so she could speak. "Yeah, it was a lot like what you described. Especially the part about you being around in the future."

"What about the thought of other people kissing me or hugging me the way you do?" Roxas asked.

"That makes me feel jealous. Sick to my stomach, even."

"What about your happiness?" he asked.

"I'm happy if you're happy. I don't know when I learned how to experience happiness vicariously," she said.

"You're stealing my answers. And thinking of me?"

"Nearly constant." Naminé stood up. "Sometimes because you're annoying and sometimes because I can't stop thinking about you."

"And when we're together, everything's great, right?" Roxas said. "Because even when I'm arguing with you, I—I can't even explain it. You always keep me on my toes. I love having you actually here so when I lose, I can just kiss you and pretend I won the argument. And don't even get me started on how witty you are."

"You think I'm witty?" Naminé asked.

"We've already discussed that I'm only attracted to women who are smarter than I am."

"Yes, but we've already discussed why that's hardly a compliment."

"God damn." Roxas stood up and tackled Naminé with a hug. "I feel like I'm going to explode."

"I… can't think of something to say that doesn't involve something sexual." Naminé hugged him tightly and giggled. "Sorry. Guess I don't have that wit you were talking about."

"Whatever. I'm still in love with you."

Naminé turned herself around, wrapped her arms around his neck, and pulled him down to her lips. "Say it again."

"I love you."

She pecked him on the lips. "Again."

"I love you."

"Again."

"I love you," he said. He looked at her. "How many times are you going to make me say it?"

"As much as I want." Naminé smiled. She pressed her forehead to his and closed her eyes. "I love you too, Roxas."

"Say it again."

"No." Naminé shook her head, her hair brushing across his face. "I just told you a second ago."

"Oh, right. Sorry for asking."

Naminé set her feet flat on the ground and buried her face in his shoulder. "I love you, Roxas. We should go on a date tomorrow."

"That sounds like a good idea. We should go on a lot of dates. I don't know about you, but I'm totally down for dating you forever," Roxas said.

"That gives us a lot of time to do things together." Naminé bounced on her heels. "We should bake something tonight. Together, too. We can bring it on our date."

"You have it all planned out."

"Yup. And before going home tomorrow, we should stop at a drug store."

Roxas blinked. "Well, you lost me on that one."

"I just thought we'd pick something up so tomorrow night we could do things we're comfortable doing," Naminé said quickly, hiding her face from his view.

Roxas was silent until he pieced his thoughts together. "Oh. Wow. Really? I mean, we'll have all the time in the world, but if you really insist—"

"Having second thoughts?"

"Nope," he replied a little too quickly. "We're doing that. All of that, tomorrow. And by that I mean the date and the baking and the buying things before heading back."

The clouds gave way to the moon. The white light revealed them standing in each other's arms, their eyes having a silent conversation. Under the starry sky, they began the walk from their private little world to the real one where everyone was surely waiting. Time moved forward again, and the moment they wanted to last forever came to an end.

"You know, it's going to suck when we're separated again. And then even after that, we still have senior year to survive apart," Roxas said, taking Naminé's hand and intertwining their fingers.

They both knew that their separation was inevitable. They had, whether they were aware of it or not, danced around the topic when they were lost in each other. But as they moved ever closer to the days of missing each other and marched toward the end of their spring break, their resolve was as strong as ever.

"Yeah. But I think we'll manage. We'll find ways to meet up," Naminé said. Her steps were slow and deliberate, but they moved her forward at a steady pace. "And I'm going to do everything I can to make it happen. It's going to take more than a little distance to shake me."

"Is that a promise?" Roxas squeezed her hand.

"Yup." Namine nodded with a smile.

"Then I'll get in on it too," he said, linking their pinkies together. "We'll do everything we can and see each other as often as possible until we can be together every day. That's a promise."

* * *

><p><strong>Redeeming Endeavor: <strong>What a ride this has been.

I initially planned an epilogue, but this is a good place to end. Can't believe this was stretched out over three years. It's been fun though. A huge success, too. It long surpassed M&M. It made the favorites list of more than 500 people. It got some incredible reviews. What else? It was posted on TVTropes, so whoever did that is awesome, and it helped me meet some wonderful readers and writers. It apparently introduced and encouraged some readers to read other fanfictions, and it inspired some crazy amazing artwork too.

Damn, man. You are all my readers, and you are all fantastic people.

Story Word Count: 225,189 words. Editing time: 24440 minutes.

For reviewing on the last go-around, I'd like to thank **Burai Stelar, Twenty-Twenty-One, Ventusblade, wolfanime25, Kingofclubs8129,Lilaclia, Crush-Chan17, GengaJupite, NaturistElisaXII, Demigod103, Vitality Astral, OmegaOverlord13, Lupus7, CherryTree, It's My Lucky Charm, Guest, Chrome Scale, Bookworm11114, evilestguyever, Guest, Sookdeo, KurukiXV, Bretardedness101, reganaxel, Polymoly, G THE NEPHILIM, Kigen Dawn, Justice Tokidoki, thelonesomeartist, Xerzo LotCN, FromSoraXWithLove, Eternal Abuss 59, candybear24, and a Guest**. It was nice hearing about what you guys thought, as always.

Hell, thanks to anyone who took the time to review this story at any point! There are over 1200 reviews here that you had no obligation to write, but you did anyway. And some of you have been reviewing me since I first started writing here! Trust me, I know who you are. I went back and read your first reviews on M&M and all my other stories and it's incredible to see that you guys have been so supportive through the years. I hope this story lands among one of the favorites you've read on this site. This was written to entertain you guys, so hopefully it's done just that.

Thanks to anyone who added this story to your favorites and alerts list, who told your friends to read this, who anonymously recommended it to others, and who made so much more out of these words I arranged into some semblance of a story.

Some of you asked and messaged me about why I'm leaving, so let's answer that here: I want to get published. I'm working on original fiction, and it's my dream to become a published writer of Young Adult (YA, Teen) fiction. This isn't an end to my writing, but rather a step toward realizing that dream. I've got to completely devote myself to getting published. My dream and livelihood depend on it. You're welcome to keep up with me on my tumblr, which I'll start regularly updating again tomorrow. I hope I have at least some of your support :P

I also hope some of you have kindles or e-readers. I'm considering publishing something onto Amazon. If it can be made free (let's be real: I haven't written anything worth buying yet), then I'll definitely find a way to update you guys on that so you can read some of my original stuff. This won't be for a while though, so don't go stalking Amazon just yet.

It's been real, everyone. I really can't express my gratitude with words, but you can bet that I'm dedicating my first published book to you, my wonderful group of readers who inspired and encouraged me to write, and who helped me discover a part of myself and my love for writing. Thank you so much. Thank you so so much for your kind words and your time and your encouragement.

If you haven't already, check out the work by writers **xoKyorii** and **Jomatto** for some great KH fanfiction. **Survival of the Cutest** and **Love Sick** are fantastic reads. And check out **Dusks & Ladders** by **aliciousness**. It looks extremely promising. It's got my stamp of approval.

Thanks for reading. Take care, and I hope that, in the near future, I'll see you around.


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